'The ECB were very supportive' - Jamie Smith on putting ILT20 before England Lions

When England Lions line up against India A at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday, one player will be conspicuous by his absence. Jamie Smith hit a 71-ball century in the Lions' most recent first-class match against Sri Lanka in the spring, but will be 1000 miles away from Ahmedabad preparing for the ILT20 in the UAE.

Smith, a Surrey academy product, made his ODI debut in September and is widely considered to be a future England Test wicketkeeper. His record-breaking hundred for the Lions last year earned him rave reviews from Ian Bell, the Lions' batting coach, and was enough to catch Ben Stokes' eye while England were on tour in New Zealand.

But rather than spending a second successive winter with the Lions, he has opted to fulfil a contract with Gulf Giants, where he will play under former England coach Andy Flower. It is a decision that many would interpret as a statement of priorities, but Smith himself is clear that it will help him achieve his ambition to be a three-format international cricketer.

The ECB management are fully supportive. Smith spoke to Mo Bobat, the board's departing performance director, before committing to the ILT20 and Rob Key, England's managing director, is also on board. "It was a very open conversation between us," Smith told ESPNcricinfo. "It wasn't a case of 'you can't do this' or 'you have to do that'.

"There's always going to be a couple of conversations: my main goal is to play Test cricket for England and I don't want to be blacklisted, but that was never the case and that was reassuring. I want to become a three-format player and I just felt at this time, I've probably had more experience in first-class cricket."

Smith has played more T20s (59) than first-class matches (50) but has not had a consistent role, batting everywhere from No. 1-9 in Surrey's Blast side. "I'm a relative novice in terms of my T20 game," he said. "I want to get more experience and a bit more exposure against quality overseas players, and expand my game that way.

"The ECB were very supportive. I think they appreciate that I've spent a lot of time focusing on my red-ball stuff in the last few years. Last November, I was on the Lions camp in Dubai, had Christmas off then went over to Sri Lanka and was into the [county] season. There was no actual time spent practising any white-ball skills.

"I was back into red-ball cricket, all the way through to the Blast and the schedule is so hectic. I finished our last Championship game [in May] and we were playing in the Blast straightaway. At the end of the year you always write down little things you want to explore and work on, but there just wasn't actually any time I could dedicate to that."

But Smith believes that playing franchise cricket will not only help his T20 game. "I want to go out and be proactive in red-ball cricket anyway, and put people under pressure," he said. "In the past there has been a misconception that you're only a white-ball player or a red-ball player, you have to look at the bigger picture.

"Whether you're on a Lions tour or in a franchise competition, you're still playing games of cricket against high-quality, experienced players and you're still trying to better yourself. I'd say my T20 game is very similar to my red-ball game and to me, it's just about batting and improving - whatever environment that is in."

Smith is also conscious that franchises can be fickle. "There's a limited window when you can get picked up. There are two or three competitions going on at the same time in January and February, then you've got the PSL and then ultimately the IPL, which is another aspiration a bit further down the line.

"Without putting your name in the hat, you see how people are nowadays: you can just get moved on. There's so many players out there, and if you don't start taking a few of these opportunities up then all of a sudden, they will pass you by and there'll be other players that will go past you."

Smith had his most prolific Championship season in 2023 as Surrey won their second title in a row, averaging 40.88 with two hundreds from No. 4. "I'd had a few goes in the past and people told me, 'you might struggle with the moving ball' but this time I made it my own," he said. "And we came away with another trophy."

He also thrived in his first full season of the Hundred, batting at No. 3 for Birmingham Phoenix after he was picked up for £50,000 in the draft. "They gave me so much confidence. My role was clear from the get-go: you're not scared of failing because you know you'll be given the opportunity."

But the highlight of Smith's summer came at Trent Bridge in September, when he made his England debut as part of a second-string ODI squad that beat Ireland 1-0 in a rain-affected series. "It was an incredibly proud moment for me, and for my family," he said. "It gave me a snippet of what is hopefully to come.

"You want to play in all three formats but to tick off one, nobody can take that away from you." The second and third ticks are unlikely to be too far away.