England's Bright New Hope

Ed Smith was not wearing a cravat, he did not ask his valet to wait outside Trent Bridge and he had no plans to dine at a London club last night to discuss matters of national import, such as the inalienable right to hunt foxes or the pressing need for a compulsory Latin education.

It is important to point this out as there is a sense that Smith might become a stereotype - especially, dare it be suggested, in the Guardian - and he has not made his Test debut yet. That is the way of things when England, in a mess, call up what one unconvinced scribe called yesterday "a posh private-school Kent boy".

Smith is a bit of a brainbox with a double first in history at Cambridge and, if the smattering of respectful references in his last book mean anything, an empathy with the right-wing view of the world as expressed by Roger Scruton and his ilk.

Last month the ECB sought to present cricket as grungy, working-class and laddish in a safe sort of way; this month they might have summoned Smith straight from some minor offshoot of the Royal Family. The outcome should be enormous fun.

There has not been a comparable intellect in England's side since Mike Brearley a generation ago, although the size of Brearley's brain was held to increase as his career progressed whereas Smith's, as he ruefully pointed out, seems to be shrinking.

"Firstly it was the size of a planet, then it was like the Isle of Wight," he said. "Maybe it will be totally normal by Friday" - unless he hooks Makhaya Ntini straight down a South African throat at long leg, in which case it will be compared to the size of a pea.

Smith's other career is as a writer, which makes him a refreshing change from the mass of modern-day sportsmen who leave "the zone" only to buy a can of Coke or play a round of golf and which also makes his critics fearful of grammatical errors.

Are other interests acceptable in these highly pressurised days? Do they not smack, to a two-dimensional coach, of a singular lack of commitment? "Michael Atherton used to go fishing," he said, "some people DJ and some put grips on bats. I don't have a one-size-fits-all attitude to the way you live your life. Writing and cricket are complementary challenges, so when I come back to cricket I feel fresher and more interested."

He is writing a Diary of the Season, which after six championship centuries and an England call-up could stretch his modesty to the limit, but the book already on the shelves is Playing Hard Ball: A Kent County Cricketer's Journey Into Big League Baseball. He spent a season as guest of the New York Mets, where he explored parallels between the cultural and social influences of cricket and baseball in England and the United States.

"I still think cricket means a lot to England," he said. "There is great latent interest. More people care more deeply about the game than they care to suggest."

After England's dismal showing at Lord's there was an urge to unearth an insight for the summer, a catalyst for recovery. Chapter five may have it. One of the secrets of batting, England should know, was revealed to Smith by the legendary baseballer Tony Gwynn in the phrase: "Wait, wait, wait, quick, quick, quick." Basically it is a reworking of the adage about playing the ball late, and decisively, but for batsmen lacking confidence it is as good advice as any, worth about six, perhaps, on the Brearleyometer.

Smith captained Kent for the first time against the South Africans at Canterbury at the weekend but he is much too bright to draw too many conclusions from a tour match. The inescapable fact is that he deserves his opportunity.

The only time his languid air changed was when he was asked about his reputation as a stylish front footer who has faltered against the short stuff. Have things changed? "I think you will find out on Thursday," he said. "I would try out any new cap against the short ball." And, as his eyes narrowed, he looked just for a second as if he might become the summer's unlikely hero.

Light blue touchstones

The last Cambridge player to debut for England was Steve James of Glamorgan, against South Africa in 1998. He made 10 and nought and South Africa won by 10 wickets.

Peter May (66 Tests, batting average 46.77) has some claim to be Cambridge's greatest player. On his debut, against South Africa at Headingley in 1951, he made 138.

England's first Cambridge players were a quartet of amateurs in Lord Harris's 1878-79 team who lost to Australia in Melbourne by 10 wickets. Three of them, including Francis MacKinnon, the clan chief known as the 35th MacKinnon of MacKinnon, never played for England again.

None of the 10 Cambridge players who have debuted for England in the past 30 years made an impact with the bat first time around. Mike Brearley, Paul Parker and Mike Atherton all made first-innings ducks. Ian Greig did best - with 14.

Mike Selvey made the most sensational start. In his first 20 balls in Test cricket - at Old Trafford in 1976 - he had the wickets of Roy Fredericks, Viv Richards and Alvin Kallicharran at a cost of six runs.