FORMER Tonbridge School pupil Ed Smith fulfils a personal ambition this weekend when he attempts to tame the South Africans in the second npower Test at Trent Bridge.

The Pembury-born 26-year-old has been rewarded for his excellent form for Kent this season with a place at number five in the batting line-up. England began their first innings today bidding to square the series.

Smith’s inclusion is welcome news for the county after he and fellow Kent batsmen Rob Key were both overlooked for the first Test.

Key was dropped from the party after a poor showing in the NatWest one-day series, while Smith lost out to Yorkshire’s Anthony McGrath.

Smith was given a taste of the international arena when he led Kent out as captain for their three-day game against South Africa earlier this month because of an injury to skipper David Fulton

Prior to this season, Smith had scored 1,000 runs in a season three times with a career average of 37.66 with 2002 his best scoring 1,239 runs at 41.30. This summer he is the highest run scorer in the country and was the first to 1,000 runs.

After a steady start, he hit 135 against Surrey at the Oval and then struck his first one-day century at the Mote against Glamorgan before feasting on Nottinghamshire twice (149 and 113).

He then managed a mammoth 203 at Blackpool against Lancashire and a brilliant 108 at the St Lawrence against Essex.

Smith is no stranger to big scores. He notched a century (104) on his first class debut against Glamorgan for Cambridge University and was the first player to score 50 or more in each of his five first-class innings.

"As a career goal it's always been my ambition to play for England,” he said. "I was proud of my runs at Cambridge, but it did take me some time to establish myself at Kent.”