England wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith etched his name into the history books on Friday by scoring his maiden Test century against Sri Lanka, becoming the youngest player to achieve the feat for England in Test cricket.

Playing in the first Test of a three-match series at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester, Smith reached the milestone in just 136 balls. His composed and confident innings of 111 runs off 148 deliveries included eight boundaries and a towering six, providing England with a crucial first-innings lead on the third day of the match.

The Surrey cricketer's maiden ton in the longest format of the game made him the youngest English wicketkeeper-batter to smash a hundred. He is 24 years and 40 days old when he completed his hundred. He broke the record of Les Ame who did it when he was 24 years and 63 days old against the West Indies in Port of Spain in 1930.

Jamie Smith also became the first England wicketkeeper-batter to reach a century since December 2022. Ollie Pope, their stand-in captain in Manchester hit a century against Pakistan in Rawalpindi 18 months earlier.

"He has taken to Test cricket like duck to water," Nasser Hussain, who was on-air, said.

Smith got 70 in his Test debut against the West Indies and came close to a century in his third Test. His knock off 70 runs featured two sixes and eight fours, highlighting his aggressive hitting approach. He proceeded to impress in successive Tests, showcasing his ability to adjust to varied conditions and bat further down the order.