Former England cricketer Robin Smith passes away at 62
What's the story
Robin Smith, the former England cricketer, has passed away at the age of 62. While the cause of his death remains unknown, the news was confirmed by his family and Hampshire. Smith had a stellar career with England between 1988 and 1996, featuring in 62 Tests and 71 ODIs. He was known for his resilience as a middle-order batsman during the team's challenging times.
Career highlights
Smith's remarkable cricketing journey
Smith, who was born in Durban, South Africa, was known as "The Judge." The former middle-order batter played his entire county career with Hampshire, with his final domestic game coming in 2003. His family released a statement, saying, "It is with the deepest and most profound sense of sadness and loss that we must announce the passing of Robin Arnold Smith."
Enduring influence
A look at his career numbers
Smith had emerged as a valiant batter who often turned the tide. In 62 Tests (112 innings), he racked up 4,236 runs at an average of 43.67. His tally includes 9 tons and 28 half-centuries. Smith also played 71 ODIs, scoring a total of 2,419 runs with an average of 39.01. He tallied 4 hundreds and 15 half-centuries. The former batter recorded over 26,000 First-Class and nearly 15,000 List A runs.
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Smith's historic 167 against Australia
Smith slammed an unbeaten 167 against Australia in the 1993 Edgbaston ODI. According to ESPNcricinfo, this remained the highest individual score for England in ODIs for 23 years. Alex Hales surpassed this in 2016.
Final meetings
Recent interactions with England Lions squad
Hampshire cricket club's chief executive, Rod Bransgrove, described Smith as "one of the greatest, if not the greatest, of all time Hampshire Cricket heroes." Just two weeks ago, Smith met with the England Lions side during their tour match in Perth. He spoke about international cricket and shared stories from his own career. However, his family has requested people to refrain from speculating on the cause of death, which will be determined at the postmortem investigation.