 "England's Harry Brook, right, celebrates after scoring a century on day three of the second cricket test match between England and India at Edgbaston. AP")
Having lost three wickets in the final session of Day 2, England had a rough start in response to the monumental total posted by Team India in first innings of the second Test at Edgbaston. The misery for hosts carried forward to Day 3 as Mohammed Siraj sent Joe Root and captain Ben Stokes back in the hut in the space of consecutive deliveries. As England were in dire need of someone to step up, Harry Brook and Jamie Smith answered the SOS call and brought the team back on track.
Brook and Smith successfully resurrected England, who were reeling at 84/5 at one point. As per the latest update, England are closing in on 400 and the partnership between Smith and Brook has gone past the 300-mark. Both batters have not only completed their centuries, they have crossed 150 and in the process modified history books.
Record made by Jamie Smith
Smith being the aggressor of the two inspired a feisty comeback with a blistering counterattacking play. He smashed a century in just 80 balls. The knock has taken him to the fourth spot in the list of fastest centuries scored by England players in Tests.
Fastest 100s for England (by balls faced)
76 -Gilbert Jessop vs Aus The Oval 1902
77- Jonny Bairstow vs NZ Trent Bridge 2022
80- Harry Brook vs Pak Rawalpindi 2022
80- Jamie Smith vs Ind Edgbaston 2025 *
85- Ben Stokes vs NZ Lord’s 2015
Record made by Harry Brook
Brook, who accompanied Smith in forging a massive stand for the sixth wicket, has also tweaked a record with his excellence. He completed his ninth hundred and it took him just 44 innings to get there, which is a milestone in itself. Brook is placed third on the list of individuals (from England) with the fewest innings to reach nine Test centuries.
Fewest innings to nine Test hundreds for England
37 - Denis Compton
43 - Herbert Sutcliffe
44 - Harry Brook
50 - Wally Hammond
52 - Michael Vaughan
The partnership between the two went past the 300-mark half-an-hour into the final session – making it the third 300-plus stand for England in Tests against India. It’s also the biggest partnership of the ongoing series.