Robin Smith (cricketer)
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 England (Eng) |
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| Batting style | Right-handed batsman (RHB) | |
|---|---|---|
| Bowling type | Leg-break | |
| Tests | ODIs | |
| Matches | 62 | 71 |
| Runs scored | 4236 | 2419 |
| Batting average | 43.67 | 39.01 |
| 100s/50s | 9/28 | 4/15 |
| Top score | 175 | 167* |
| Overs bowled | 4 | 0 |
| Wickets | 0 | N/A |
| Bowling average | N/A | N/A |
| 5 wickets in innings | 0 | N/A |
| 10 wickets in match | 0 | n/a |
| Best bowling | 0/6 | N/A |
| Catches/stumpings | 39/0 | 26/0 |
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As of 6 June 2005 |
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Robin Arnold Smith (born 13 September 1963, Durban, South Africa) was a cricketer for Hampshire and England.
Like his older brother Chris, Smith was unable to play for the country of his birth because of the exclusion of the apartheid regime from international cricket, but because he had English parents he qualified to play for England.
He played for England in 11 home Test series and 6 overseas tours from 1988-1996. Smith was best known as a fearless hammerer of fast bowling, with perhaps the most ferocious square-cut of his generation. His highest Test score, 175 against the West Indies in Antigua, was made as England replied to Brian Lara's record-breaking innings of 375 not out. Despite his domination of fast, aggressive bowling, Smith suffered from a well-publicised vulnerability to slower bowlers - particularly the leg-spin of Shane Warne.
He scored 167 not out for England against Australia in the 1993 Texaco Trophy at Edgbaston when Australia won by six wickets. This is the highest score made by an Englishman in a One Day International and the highest score made by any batsman who finished on the losing side in such a game.
Despite this, when Smith was dropped from the England team (with a Test average of over 40, one of the best of any contemporary England player) it was popularly perceived as unfairly premature. Backing this up is the ICC's historical rankings of Test batsmen, which places Smith as the 77th greatest batsman in history, and 17th greatest Englishman (ahead of feted names such as Geoff Boycott, Alec Stewart and Michael Atherton)[1]
"Judge" went on to captain Hampshire from 1998-2002, before retiring from first-class cricket in 2003.
Smith remains the most successful England player to originate from Hampshire since CB Fry. Test average of 43.67 aside, Smith is also remembered being one of the sport's genuine 'nice guys'.
[edit] References
- ^ LG ICC Best-Ever Test Batting Records. Retrieved on December 20, 2006.
[edit] External link
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