England cricketer Jamie Smith is mild-mannered and quietly spoken. He’s not one for the on-field backchat, or sledging as it’s known in the game. But he’s fiercely determined and not to be messed with.
He and his partner Kate became parents for the first time last December. Kate’s family are Chelsea fans and Jamie is a lifelong Hammer despite growing up in Sutton in south London. So what’s the deal for baby Noah? “He’s West Ham, I’m afraid – that’s the only deal,” says the 25-year-old Smith with a steely glare.
Smith is one of the rising stars of English cricket and will be a key player in the quest to reclaim the Ashes in the five-match Test series in Australia that kicks off in Perth in late November.
He’s also one of the first names on the team sheet for the shorter, ‘white-ball’ formats when he’s a big-hitting opening batter.
Having starred for Surrey in the domestic game, he was fast-tracked into the England set-up. After a couple of low-key one-day matches against Ireland, he made his Test match debut at Lord’s, the home of cricket, in 2024 against West Indies. He smashed 70 runs in his debut innings including a six that sailed out of the iconic ground.
He’s also the team’s wicket-keeper, a position that is often occupied by big personalities with plenty to say for themselves – like a Gary Neville with gloves.
Smith is not that kind of character. He’s quietly efficient behind the stumps but with a bat in hand, he produces displays as explosive as the pre-match pyrotechnics at London Stadium.
In the recent thrilling Test series against India, he hit the winning runs in the victory in Leeds and then in the next match in Birmingham, he hit a career-best 184 not out – the highest ever score by an England wicket-keeper.
Smith took time out from a busy summer to chat to fellow Hammer and Wisden editor-at-large John Stern about his love for the Hammers, hitting sixes and how he could have been a footballer...

So, Jamie, why West Ham?
“It’s what I was told by my Dad, really! He was from Mitcham in South London but my Mum’s family home was right by Upton Park and I think he started going. West Ham’s all I know.”
What are your early Hammers memories?
“I remember my first game vividly: West Ham-Charlton, 2006, and I think they won 3-1. (West Ham did win, with goals from Bobby Zamora (two) and Carlton Cole). We sat in the West Stand though I didn’t really have the concentration to watch a full game. Then we got a Season Ticket in the East Stand in 2014. From then until COVID [in 2020] me and my Dad would go home and away, before my life got much busier.”
What are your away highlights?
“There’ve been a few. Obviously, West Ham can be up and down – that’s the beauty of supporting them! There were some special games in the last year at the Boleyn [in 2015/16]. I was playing cricket when we won on the opening day at the Emirates but we made it to the Etihad when we went 2-0 up and somehow managed to see out a 2-1 one with backs to the wall for over 60 minutes of the game.
“I don’t know how we didn’t get Champions League that year – everything we touched hit the back of the net and we were playing some good football. That was a great year because we seemed to get results at all the big teams. One big memory from that year was the FA Cup [quarter final] at Old Trafford, with [Dimitri] Payet’s free kick and totally dominating the game but somehow not winning that tie. It was remarkable how well we played. I’ve been to Old Trafford seven or eight times and not really seen us perform. That was the first time we dominated.”

How did you follow the Conference League final triumph in 2023?
“I was playing for Surrey in a T20 Blast game in Cardiff and for county T20 games you have to hand your phones in, like you do at international level, so I didn't actually have my phone. I came off halfway through our game and was told we were 1-0 up. So I was obviously pretty pleased with that while we were out fielding. At the end of the game, I just packed my bag and got straight on to the bus – it was the quickest I’ve ever changed. As soon as I stepped on that bus, Bowen was through on goal. I was pleased to catch that little glimpse of history.
“There was just something about being in Europe. As soon as we stepped into the Europa League, we were a different side. The atmosphere at the Sevilla game was unlike anything I’d experienced before at the London Stadium.”
It wasn’t always cricket, though, was it – you almost had a football career?
“I was at AFC Wimbledon for a couple of years, around the ages of 12 to 15. I was juggling both sports but it started to get too messy when the seasons crossed over. It also coincided with Wimbledon scrapping the age group that I was in so there was no real decision to be made.”
What position did you play?
“I started in centre midfield and then moved back to centre half. Looking back now, I definitely should have been a goalkeeper. I love being outfield but if I was to restart, I’d love to have been a goalkeeper. I was a late developer and I was small for my age.”

Who are your favourite players?
“Mark Noble. He’s been through it all – promotions and relegations – and been a constant throughout. I don’t think I fully recognised his leadership qualities at the time but stepping into elite sport, I know it’s so hard to galvanise people at the best of times. So to do it through the ups and downs that he's had is really admirable. Homegrown talent has always been a big thing for West Ham so to see him do it for such a long career, for one club, was fantastic.
“And then there’s Dimitri Payet who, in that season and a half he was with us, just made everyone ten times better. When I was growing up he was that jewel that made things special.”
Is there much footballing interest among your England cricket team-mates?
“We warm up with a nice, little game called ‘pig’ which is one-touch, keeping the ball up. You get three lives and after that you get a flick on the forehead. It used to be proper football but that changed after a few injuries. When I was coming through at Surrey, around 2019, it got very serious. People were buying boots and we purchased proper goals, and we'd get them out for the warm-up. Even if it wasn’t a match-day we’d be playing half an hour each way!”
