Jamie Smith will bat at No. 3 for the first time in his ODI career and keep wicket for England in their Champions Trophy opener against Australia in Lahore on Saturday. Joe Root has been England's first-choice No.

Jamie Smith will return from injury to keep wicket and bat at number three in England's Champions Trophy opener against Australia in Lahore on Saturday.

While a calf injury ruled Smith out of that series, his ability against spin in Pakistan was best showcased in the longest format. October's third Test in Rawalpindi was over on the third morning on an excessively spin-friendly wicket; Pakistan did not bowl a ball of seam and all 20 England wickets fell to the spinners.

Buttler was confident about Smith's abilities and said, "We just feel it's a nice position to give him a free hit to try and really impact the game," the skipper stated during a p

Australia's stand-in captain Steve Smith says he is "not worried" about the absence of his three key fast bowlers for their Champions Trophy opener against England.