England cricket legend Robin Smith has died in Australia, just days after he bravely opened up about his troubled past. His friends and former team-mates have been hailing his achievements
Everything you need to know as tributes are paid to England cricket legend Robin Smith following his death
- England cricket legend Robin Smith has died at the age of 62. Smith, who played 62 test matches for England and finished his international career in 1996, died in Australia. His friend and former Hampshire team-mate Kevan James, 64, revealed the news on BBC Radio Solent Sport as he struggled to hold back the tears.
- Born in Durban, Smith – nicknamed ‘The Judge’ – was renowned as a fearless batter against quick bowling with a punishing cut shot. He played for Hampshire between 1982 and 2003 and made his Test debut in 1988, going on to score nine centuries with a highest score of 175.
- He also played 71 one-day internationals and was part of the England team which lost the 1992 World Cup final. His international career ended in 1996. He captained Hampshire between 1998 and 2002 and earlier helped them to Benson and Hedges Cup victories in 1988 and 1992 and the NatWest Trophy in 1991.
- England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Richard Thompson said he was a “batter ahead of his time”. He said: “Robin Smith was a player who stood toe to toe with some of the quickest bowlers around, meeting spells of hostile fast bowling with a defiant smile and a ferocious shot. He did so in a way that gave England fans enormous pride, and no shortage of entertainment.”
- Just days ago, Smith had bravely opened up about his troubled past with alcohol abuse and had travelled down under for the Ashes. His cause of death is currently unknown.
- READ FULL STORY: England legend Robin Smith dies as ex-team-mate breaks down in tears on radio
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Terms and Conditions.