JAMIE SMITH’S raw talent has been backed to trump his inexperience opening the batting as England try to arrest their alarming one-day form under new captain Harry Brook.

Smith’s elevation to number three during England’s torturous Champions Trophy this year backfired as he made just 24 runs in three innings in Pakistan, while he has never opened in the 50-over format before.

He has flourished at Test level with bat and gloves, enough to convince Brook and head coach Brendon McCullum to pair Smith with Ben Duckett at the top of the order in a three-match series against the West Indies, starting today at Edgbaston.

Jos Buttler, Brook’s predecessor as white-ball skipper, was a contender but he returns to the rank and file by taking Smith’s wicketkeeping role for an England side who have lost their last seven ODIs.

“Me and Baz just have this burning desire that he could be an unbelievable white-ball opener,” Brook said, ahead of his first assignment in charge of England’s white-ball teams.

“I’m not saying he’s cemented his spot, but he’s going to get a good, good crack at it. He’s such an immense player. He’s got the strength to do so and the technique to be able to face the swinging ball.

“As we’ve seen in Test cricket he’s a very good player. He can put their best balls under pressure from any position. There’s no reason why he can’t go out there and bang it as an opener.”

Joe Root returns to first drop with Brook back at four while Buttler and all-rounders Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks, all three of whom were recalled from the Indian Premier League, complete the middle order.

Bethell and Jacks supplement front line spinner Adil Rashid, with Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse and Saqib Mahmood the pace options in the absence of the injured Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson.

England lost all three matches at the Champions Trophy, leading to the resignation as captain of Buttler, whose ODI average and strike-rate have plummeted in the last couple of years.

Buttler was frequently without his best players during his three-year captaincy stint but Brook is confident that will change after inheriting a side that sits eighth in the ODI world rankings.

“I think that’s part of the reason why Jos struggled,” Brook said. “With the schedule, he didn’t have his best players the whole time and I think we’re going to try and change that a little bit.

“I think Jos is still the best white-ball batter in the world. That weight will be lifted off his shoulders, he can just go out there and play.

“It’s a new era now, new leadership, hopefully we can bring a lot of energy, competitiveness and a lot of fun and try to get some wins under our belt.”

England likely need to be in the top nine in the rankings by March 2027 to seal an automatic spot in that year’s World Cup and avoid the ignominy of having to go through a qualifier.

West Indies sit ninth in the rankings but can leapfrog England if they clean sweep Brook’s side. The Windies won 2-1 in the Caribbean late last year, although Barbados-born Bethell stood out for England.

Windies captain Shai Hope said: “He’s certainly a formidable talent. He can go a very long way. I’m happy for him, but we’re enemies this time.”