Robin Smith, who has died at the age of 62, was among the most adept and convincing players of fast bowling during an era when English cricket was in decline and pace bowling was at its most lethal. Unwavering against the tormenting West Indies pace attack or the relentless Australians, Smith epitomised courage and stroke-making prowess. His trademark shot, an immensely powerful square cut, made him a scourge of opponents. Wearing a blue England helmet without a visor or grille, he relished pulling, hooking and cutting the quicks.
At his best, he punished fast bowling with supersonic cuts and hooks. Whether confronting Caribbean bouncers or the sledging of his old adversary Merv Hughes, he resembled a doctor putting patients at ease while launching a thunderous counterattack.
Tributes poured in. One of his England teammates, Mark Ramprakash, said that while Smith was a phenomenal batter, he was an even better person and teammate. “There’s his cricket, the way he played as a batsman, which was to be hugely admired in an era of great fast bowlers,” Ramprakash said. “And then there’s the person, who was more admirable still.
“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. He was a batter ahead of his time, typified in that unforgettable unbeaten 167 from 163 balls in an ODI against Australia at Edgbaston in 1993.”
There were also tributes from Hampshire, the county he helped guide to Benson & Hedges Cup victories in 1988 and 1992, and the NatWest Trophy in 1991. “Robin embodied the spirit of Hampshire,” the club’s chief executive, Rod Bransgrove, said. “He loved playing for his county. ‘The Judge’ connected with everyone he came into contact with. He was one of the most popular players ever to play the game we all love.” That sentiment was echoed by former teammate Kevan James, who said Smith was one of the few England batters who stood up to the formidable West Indian fast bowlers and “gave as good as he got.”
Smith faced some ugly confrontations with Shane Warne in Test cricket, but the Australian legend eventually became a close friend and Hampshire teammate.
Robin Arnold Smith was born in Durban, South Africa, in 1963 to British-born parents, and earned his cricketing baptism as a schoolboy prodigy in both cricket and rugby. He was used as the model in a coaching manual written by revered South Africa Test opener Barry Richards, who became a lifelong friend. His parents even bought the house next door, demolished it and built a cricket pitch where Robin and his elder brother Chris could practise, complete with an early bowling machine and coaching from former Natal player Grayson Heath.
Smith joined the Natal squad at 17, carrying drinks for legends such as Richards and Mike Procter, before an early break emerged thanks to his brother. Chris Smith had played for Glamorgan 2nd XI in 1979 and impressed Hampshire enough to earn a contract in 1980. When Chris returned in 1981, 17-year-old Robin accompanied him and was quickly signed after a successful trial. With a Walsall-born father and Edinburgh-born mother, the Smith brothers qualified for English cricket at a time when apartheid excluded South Africans from international play.
Robin waited patiently for opportunities, initially featuring only when Gordon Greenidge or Malcolm Marshall were unavailable. His debut for Hampshire came against Pakistan at Bournemouth in 1982, where he was bowled round his legs by the leg-spinner Abdul Qadir—an indicator of how spin bowling would often trouble him throughout his career. Yet he dominated at 2nd XI level so brutally that coach Peter Sainsbury complained about the cost of replacement balls being hit out of the ground. With Greenidge and Marshall absent for the 1983 World Cup and subsequent West Indies tours, Smith cemented his place and became England-qualified in 1985, scoring more than 1,500 runs that summer. His England call-up arrived in 1988 after a pulsating innings in the Benson & Hedges Cup final at Lord’s.
Smith entered Test cricket when England were in dire straits against the West Indies. His first Test at Headingley was under Chris Cowdrey, one of four captains used that summer. He displayed his immense skill against pace bowling by scoring 38 on debut and sharing a century stand with fellow South Africa-born batter Allan Lamb. Smith continued as a prolific scorer, enjoying an excellent first Ashes in 1989, accumulating 553 runs at an average of 61.44, including two centuries. He was remarkably consistent, though prone to struggle against spin and even part-timers fancied a chance against him. His career-best knock was a magnificent 175 against the West Indies at Antigua, helping England match their first-innings score of 593.
Possessing a withering square cut—often considered one of the fiercest strokes in cricket history—Smith peaked between 1990 and 1995, playing a pivotal role in England drawing back-to-back Test series against the West Indies. He was instrumental in victories in Jamaica in 1990 and at home in the 2-2 series of 1991 and 1995. During an era when England changed players endlessly, using 29 in the 1989 Ashes, Smith became a pillar around which the team was built. His maiden Test century was a superb 143 against Australia at Manchester.
Smith was still close to his peak at 32 when he played his final Test against South Africa at Cape Town at the end of a disappointing 1-0 series loss in January 1996. Ray Illingworth, intent on ushering in a new generation, harshly cast Smith aside despite a batting record at the time bettered only by David Gower and Graham Thorpe. Smith played 62 Tests from 1988 to 1996, averaging 43.67. His highest score, 175 against West Indies in Antigua in 1994, came against Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh, who claimed 924 Test wickets between them. In the same match in which Brian Lara scored a world-record 375, Smith struck 26 fours and three sixes. His best year was 1991, when he scored 675 runs at an average of 67.5, including a brilliant 148 against the West Indies. His unbeaten 167 against Australia at Edgbaston in 1993 remained England’s ODI record until 2016.
Smith continued playing for Hampshire and pursued business interests before retiring from first-class cricket in 2003. Until Kevin Pietersen arrived in 2005, he was Hampshire’s most successful England batsman since C. B. Fry.
Ironically, Smith’s greatest battles came after retirement. His struggles with mental health and alcoholism were detailed in his 2019 autobiography, The Judge: More Than Just A Game. Only last week, he attended the first Ashes Test in Perth and spoke to the media about his ongoing recovery. He also attended an England Lions training session at Lilac Hill at the invitation of Andrew Flintoff. A statement from his family said he died unexpectedly in his South Perth apartment on Monday and that the cause of death is unknown. They urged against speculation, saying it would be established at post-mortem.
When choosing his all-time Test XI, Smith selected Barry Richards, Sachin Tendulkar, Viv Richards, Brian Lara, Ian Botham, Gary Sobers, Graeme Pollock, Alan Knott, Malcolm Marshall, Shane Warne and Dennis Lillee.
In my view, Robin Smith can be categorised as one of the most competent players ever to engage in pitched battles against the Caribbean pace battery or other lethal fast attacks. At his best he was comparable to the truly great batsmen against express pace and was a match-winner with his riveting, explosive strokeplay. What possibly prevented him from entering the pantheon of all-time greats was his fallibility against spin. In his era, he would make a World Test XI against any formidable pace attack, and arguably he was unfairly discarded by selectors at the height of his powers.
---
*Freelance journalist
Comments