England cricket great Robin Smith dies in Perth aged 62
Jonathan Veal and David Charlesworth |
Robin Smith, the former England batter renowned for his courage in facing down and excelling against the fastest bowlers of his era, has died aged 62 at his home in Perth.
Smith played 62 Tests for England between 1988 and 1996, scoring 4236 runs at an average of 43.67, with nine hundreds, while he was described by former county Hampshire as “one of the greatest” all-time heroes.
Nicknamed “Judge” because of his long, curly hair that resembled a judge’s wig, Smith struggled with mental health difficulties and alcoholism after ending a 22-year long playing career in 2003.
He addressed these issues in a series of candid interviews after being invited by coach Andrew Flintoff to speak to England Lions in Perth only two weeks ago.
But Smith’s family says no link should be made between his personal issues and the cause of his death.
“It is with the deepest and most profound sense of sadness and loss that we must announce the passing of Robin Arnold Smith, beloved father of Harrison and Margaux and cherished brother of Christopher,” a family statement said.
“Robin died unexpectedly at his South Perth apartment on Monday, December 1. The cause of his death is at present unknown.
“Since his retirement from the game in 2004 his battles with alcohol and mental health have been well documented but these should not form the basis of speculation about the cause of death which will be determined at postmortem investigation.
“This is an immensely difficult period for us all while we try to come to terms with our bereavement, and we would therefore much appreciate consideration for our privacy by media and cricket followers alike.”
On the eve of the second Ashes Test in Brisbane, England captain Ben Stokes paid tribute to Smith, who had attended the series opener in Perth and addressed the touring second XI.
“News like that, it hits you a bit harder – just last week he was there chatting with the Lions who are out here,” Stokes said.
“He was at the game last week, talking to people and sharing, going into quite a lot of detail about his life and opening up quite a lot.
“(It’s a) very sad day.”
Smith was fondly remembered for his punishing cut shot against the likes of Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh, and it was against this pace duo where he made his Test-best 175 against the West Indies in Antigua in 1994.
Smith played 15 Ashes Tests, scoring a memorable century at Old Trafford in 1989.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain led the tributes to his former teammate.
“An outstanding player of all types of bowling, but especially fast bowling,” Hussain told Sky Sports.
“He had no fear in him at all when facing the quicks. But my greatest memory was Judge the person. He was just such a lovely man.”
Former England skipper Michael Atherton echoed Hussain.
“He was the kind of guy that would give everything for the team. A lovely guy, a wonderful player. It’s desperate news,” Atherton said.
Born in Durban, South Africa, to British parents, Smith also featured in 71 ODIs with a best of 167 against Australia in 1993.
It was the highest score by an England batter until Alex Hales broke the record in 2016.
Smith played for Hampshire between 1982 and 2003, captaining them from 1988 to 2002.
Former club owner Rod Bransgrove said: “Robin Smith is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, of all-time Hampshire Cricket heroes.
“He was a batsman of awesome power and control and amongst the most courageous players this club has ever seen – especially against bowling of real pace.”
PA
