The family of Robin Smith have paid tribute to the charismatic former England batsman after his shock death at the age of just 62 was announced today.
Smith, born in Durban, had made Western Australia his home more than 20 years ago, after retiring from first-class cricket with more than 26,000 first-class runs to his name, and 61 hundreds – 49 of them for Hampshire.
A family statement confirming his sad passing read: ‘It is with the deepest and most profound sense of sadness and loss that we must announce the passing of Robin Arnold Smith, beloved father of Harrison and Margaux and cherished brother of Christopher.
‘Robin died unexpectedly at his South Perth apartment on Monday 1st December. The cause of his death is at present unknown.’
It was as a powerful middle-order batsman for his adopted England that he made his name, playing 62 Tests between his debut in 1988 and his final game, in his native South Africa in January 1996, and averaging 43 during a difficult period for the Test team. For sheer ferocity, his square-cut may never have been surpassed.
The statement continued: ‘Robin known widely as “The Judge” was originally born in South Africa in 1963 to parents John and Joy and is the younger brother to Christopher (Kippy) Smith.
‘Robin rose to fame as one of England’s most charismatic and popular players. A brave and dashing batsman, he excelled both for Hampshire and his adopted country collecting legions of admirers and friends along the way.’
Smith’s unbeaten 167 in a one-day international against Australia at Edgbaston will forever be remembered among England’s greatest limited-overs innings.
But the England management never fully appreciated his talents, nor acknowledged his fragility. For all his gifts, Smith lacked self-belief, an affliction he carried with him until the end.
Amid struggles in his personal life, he twice came close to committing suicide, and admitted in an interview last week with Daily Mail Sport that he spent 12 years drinking a bottle of vodka a day.
More recently, his partner of 17 years, Karin, had been undergoing emergency stem-cell treatment in Europe after a late diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
‘Since his retirement from the game in 2004 his 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. From Robin’s loving family.’
Smith was in attendance at the first Ashes Test at the Optus Stadium in his home city of Perth only last week, where he caught up with old friends and team-mates Graham Gooch and David Gower.
Opening up about his struggles with mental health in an interview with Daily Mail Sport, the South-African born batsman revealed his mental health began to deteriorate when he was dropped from the England squad in 1996.
‘If I’m going to be really honest, yeah (it did deteriorate then),’ he admitted.
Smith played during an era of heavy drinking and struggled with alcoholism after his retirement.
Only last year, he had a brush up with death when he spent seven months in hospital battling cirrhosis of the liver after spending more than a decade drinking a bottle of vodka a day.
‘My brother Chris and son Harrison were called in by doctors and told I had a five per cent chance of walking out. So it’s amazing that I’m here talking to you,’ he said.
‘Drinking a bottle of vodka a day for 12 years obviously didn’t do the liver much good, but I went on a strict diet, and I’ve got to be really careful.’
