Early England Career
Mike Smith was called up as a makeshift open against New Zealand in 1958, making 0 and 7 on debut on his home ground at Edgbaston in the First Test. In the Second Test at Lords he took 230 minutes to make 47 in a match where Englkand (269) beat New Zealand (47 and 74) by a innings on a poor wicket. In the Third Test at Headingley Smith made 3 and was dropped. Recalled as a top order batsman against India in 1959 he made his maiden Test century, exactly 100 in the Fourth Test at Old Trafford followed by 98 in the Fifth Test at the Oval. He played his first full series in the West Indies in 1959-60, making 39 in the First Test, 108 in 350 minutes in England's 256 run victory in the Second Test, taking longer to reach three figures than the notorious stonewaller Ken Barrington. Thereafter his weakness against quality fast bowling was exposed by Wes Hall and Chester Watson with innings of 12, 0, 10, 0, 23 and 20, but he recovered with 96 in the second innings of the Fifth Test, adding 197 for the seventh wicket with the wicketkeeper Jim Parks. Against South Africa in 1960 he started well with 54 and 28 in the First Test and top-scoring with 99 in the Second Test, where England won by an innings on another poor wicket. This was followed by 0, 0 and 11 and the next year against Australia he was out for a duck in the First Test at Edgbaston when the part-time bowler Ken Mackay took 3 wickets in four balls and he was dropped for the rest of the summer. It was thought that Smith would do better in India and Pakistan on the MCC tour of 1961-62 and he made another 99 in the First Test against Pakistan, having come in at 21/2 and adding 192 with Ken Barrington. This stood him in good stead as he mad three successive ducks against India before recovering with 73 when recalled for the Fifth Test. Despite his powerful run-making in the County Championship Smith's batting was class a fragile and he was dropped from the England team for three years.
Read more about this topic: M. J. K. Smith
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