England’s new national selector has made a positive start with a modest reboot but being ruthless when required
Victory, and clarity Ed Smith’s first Test in charge left him badly needing a win in the second match. He helped secure it by keeping faith with 10 of his first XI while showing a necessary ruthlessness by dropping Mark Stoneman (just as he had with James Vince). “Mark,” Smith said, “has experienced a disappointing start to the season and had a difficult Test match at Lord’s.” He struck the right balance between bluntness and empathy, and avoided the trap that lies in wait for anyone employed by the England and Wales Cricket Board: blathering jargon.
Written by Tim de Lisle
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/jun/05/how-ed-smith-has-performed-so-far-england-cricket under the title “Bold choices and a change of mood: how Ed Smith has performed so far”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
