I was on books of EFL club’s youth teams… now I’m in England squad for major tournament in completely different sport

TO most players, a shock promotion to No 3 in the England batting line-up for a crunch match would be a huge change.

But perhaps not for Jamie Smith – as he dropped a promising football career to become one of cricket‘s most exciting prospects.

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Jamie Smith has raced up the England batting order to become No 3 for Saturday’s Champions Trophy opener against Australia[/caption]

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Smith will bat one up from Test legend Joe Root in the ODI[/caption]

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England are gambling by elevating the powerful hitter[/caption]

Test legend Joe Root has been moved down to No 4 due to Smith’s rise up the order for Saturday’s Champions Trophy opener against Australia.

It will be only the second time the big-hitter has come in first wicket down in professional 50-over cricket.

Not only that, the 24-year-old will also take the gloves from Phil Salt, who will continue to open the batting alongside Ben Duckett.

But it’s nothing too dramatic for Smith – not compared to the major decision he made aged 15.

He was a highly-talented central midfielder for League Two club AFC Wimbledon.

And indeed as a kid football dominated his thoughts… until he became the first person in his family to play cricket.

Surrey CCC rated Smith so highly at the smaller-ball game that they picked him for their Under-17s when he was just 12.

The nine-cap Test star revealed how it all began.

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Wicketkeeper Jamie Smith will bat at No 3 in England’s Champions Trophy opener against Australia on Saturday[/caption]

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He once told the Mail: “No one in my family played cricket. 

“I was pushed into a holiday camp with my local club, Sutton – something my parents did to keep me busy.”

However, he confessed: “I didn’t really want that to be the case, but I knew with my cricket that I had something a little bit special. 

“I wasn’t naive. When you’re growing up, people push you for a reason.

“They’re putting you in higher teams, because they can see a talent in you.
‘It was getting to the point where football and cricket were overlapping too much. 

“Going on pre-season tours with Surrey in March meant missing things. Doing both wasn’t sustainable.”

However, Smith revealed choosing cricket was partly down a brutal self-assessment of his chances at football.

He said: “Walking into a contracts meeting with Wimbledon at the end of the season, knowing how the contracts worked, I was never going to get one. 

“Everyone had their little percentage score for attendance and mine was 56.”

That’s a figure he’d love to match for England at cricket – where he averages an impressive 42 in Tests and 22 in ODIs.

England cricketer Smith was a youth midfielder with AFC WimbledonGetty