Robin Smith, former England great, dies aged 62

Former England batter dies at home in Perth
ESPNcricinfo staff
02-Dec-2025 • 4 hrs ago
Robin Smith, the former England batter who went toe-to-toe with some of the greatest fast bowlers of the 1980s and 90s, has died at his home in Australia at the age of 62.
Smith played 62 Tests between 1988 and 1996, scoring 4,236 runs at 43.67 with nine centuries, including three against West Indies - the team that so often brought out his pugnacious best.
Smith's signature shot was a front-foot square cut that was, by many estimations, one of the fiercest strokes in the world game, and it enabled him to thrive in cricket's adrenalin-fuelled fast lane. This was especially true on England's memorable tour of the Caribbean in 1990, when Smith was instrumental in England's victory in the first Test in Jamaica, and again on home soil in consecutive 2-2 drawn series against West Indies in 1991 and 1995.
At Edgbaston in 1993, Smith produced a remarkable innings of 167 not out in an ODI against Australia, a score which would remain England's highest in the format for 23 years, until surpassed by Alex Hales in 2016.
However, his perceived weakness against spin counted against him at key moments of his career, in particular with the emergence of Australia's Shane Warne, whose success in his maiden Ashes tour in 1993 persuaded the selectors to omit Smith from England's subsequent visit to Australia 18 months later.
Ironically, Smith and Warne became lifelong friends - a relationship that was central to Warne's decision to sign for Hampshire in the latter years of his career.
Born in South Africa in 1963, Smith was brought up to be a professional cricketer, and would spend hours honing his technique in the bespoke cricket net that his father built at the family home in Durban, and in which Barry Richards and Mike Procter counted among his practice partners.
Richards' own connections with Hampshire had, in turn, persuaded the club to take a punt on his two young neighbours. Smith's elder brother Chris would also go on to play for England after emigrating from South Africa in the early 1980s, but Robin's debut - against West Indies at Headingley in 1988 - was the more eagerly anticipated of the two.
In a sign of things to come, his maiden innings comprised a century stand with his fellow South African import, Allan Lamb - another great player of West Indian fast bowling - only for England to collapse to a ten-wicket defeat at the hands of Curtly Ambrose, Malcolm Marshall and Courtney Walsh.
Smith was still arguably in his pomp at the age of 32 when he played his final Test, against his former countrymen South Africa at Cape Town, at the end of a disappointing 1-0 series loss in January 1996. With England's supremo, Ray Illingworth, keen to usher in a new generation, Smith was bracketed with England's older guard and cast aside, despite boasting a batting average that - of the players with whom his career overlapped - only David Gower and Graham Thorpe could better.
Post-career, Smith's struggles with alcoholism were poignantly addressed in his 2019 autobiography, The Judge: More Than Just A Game. However, only last week, he attended the first Ashes Test in Perth, and spoke widely 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 confirmed that Smith had died unexpectedly in his South Perth apartment on Monday, and that the cause of death is unknown.
"Since his retirement from the game in 2004 [Robin's] 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," the statement added.
"This is an immensely difficult period for us all whilst 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."
ECB Chair Richard Thompson said: "Robin Smith was a player who stood toe to toe with some of the quickest bowlers in the world, meeting spells of hostile fast bowling with a defiant smile and an incredible resilience. 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 which was typified in that unforgettable unbeaten 167 from 163 balls in an ODI against Australia at Edgbaston in 1993.
"His record at Hampshire is exemplary, and he'll be remembered rightly as a great of Hampshire CCC. We're desperately sad to learn of his passing, and the thoughts of all of us in cricket are with his friends, family and loved ones."