David Lloyd awestruck by Jamie Smith; Straightaway draws comparisons with Adam Gilchrist and Kevin Pietersen

Legendary England cricketer and commentator, David Lloyd, has declared Jamie Smith as the next big sensation in cricket, drawing sensational comparisons to some of the greatest players the game has ever seen after the hosts completed a clean sweep against the West Indies.

Lloyd was enthralled by Smith's stunning performance in the recently concluded three-match Test series against the West Indies at home. The young wicketkeeper-batter finished the home Test series with 207 runs in four innings.

David Lloyd hails Jamie Smith as the next big star, drawing comparisons to Kevin Pietersen and Adam Gilchrist

Describing his experience of watching Smith bat as "Wow, and double wow," Lloyd admitted that the English youngster’s performance had him on the edge of his seat, a rare feeling that reminded him of the excitement once generated by Kevin Pietersen's electrifying performances with the bat.

The 24-year-old wicketkeeper's Test debut has been nothing short of spectacular. With a flair and aggression similar to Pietersen and the legendary Australian wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist, Smith has already started to turn heads and is set to become a game-changer.

Lloyd predicted a long and illustrious career for the young star. He also asserted that Smith will be a game changer, capable of snatching victories from the jaws of defeat for England in the future. The English legend also compared Smith with Pietersen and Gilchrist for his explosive batting. He played a fiery knock of 97 runs off 109 balls in the final Test.

David Lloyd wrote in his column for the Daily Mail: “I’ve heard a lot about Jamie Smith from some very knowledgeable people, but this weekend was the first time seeing him in the flesh. Wow, and double wow. I haven’t been on the edge of my seat like that since the days of Kevin Pietersen. Smith is going to be around a very long time. He’s going to take games away from the opposition. Shades of Adam Gilchrist.”

Meanwhile, Mark Wood delivered a stunning performance, dismantling the West Indies by taking five wickets and propelling England to a commanding 10-wicket victory in the third and final Test. With this win, England completed a 3-0 Test series sweep in just three days at Edgbaston.

David Lloyd backs Mark Wood to play in the next Ashes series

Wood's fiery spell in Birmingham was relentless, breaking through the West Indies' second-innings defense with aggression, as England restricted the tourists to 175 runs on the board to make their job easy for them to win the third Test, setting the target of 82 runs at Edgbaston.

Following Wood’s dominance, England captain Ben Stokes showed his flair by opening the innings and smashing the quickest half-century ever recorded by an Englishman. Stokes reached the milestone in a mere 24 balls to guide England to an emphatic win over the West Indies.

Praising Wood, who finished with seven wickets in the final Test, Lloyd wrote: “Mark Wood is approaching the age of 35, but he’s still banging his deliveries out at 90-plus miles per hour. Pace is a potent force. Is he on course for the Ashes? Well, he looks like he is to me.”

He concludes, “That’s back-to-back tests with no let-up in his speed, and so he’s not doing his case any harm. Fast bowlers clean up tails as he did perfectly yesterday. You just can’t beat the menace of a genuinely fast because it disturbs the minds of opponents.”