LAHORE  -  England batter Jamie Smith expressed surprise at the amount of assistance provided by the Rawalpindi pitch during the first innings of the ongoing third Test. Despite initial uncertainties about the surface’s behavior, he welcomed the challenge of putting pressure back on the bowlers. “People didn’t quite know what to expect from that surface. A lot of people have been saying it never spins in Rawalpindi, but we weren’t quite sure,” Smith remarked during the press conference, highlighting the unpredictability of the conditions. Facing what he termed ‘alien conditions’, Smith found it invigorating to adapt and strategize. “You ask yourself,how can we change something? How can we try to change the momentum of the game and dictate terms a little bit going into the back end of our innings?” Reflecting on his performance, Smith noted that some of his sixes came more from luck than judgment. “On another day, one of those goes to hand, but thankfully it was my day. That’s the way I like to play my cricket,” he added, emphasizing his aggressive style.