Who better to judge the exploits of Alex Hales at Trent Bridge than The Judge himself? For 23 years it was Robin Smith who held the record for the highest one-day international score by an England batsman – an unbeaten 167 against Australia in 1993 – but through a sustained exhibition of hitting from the opener Alex Hales, which reaped 171 from just 122 balls against Pakistan on Tuesday, the baton has now been passed.
Smith, who lives in Perth, Western Australia, woke up to the news at 4.30am on Wednesday when a text message from his former Hampshire team-mate Mark Nicholas, arrived on his phone. “Unlucky, Judgie, your record has gone,” said the Channel 5 commentator, a nugget of information that the recipient admits had been coming for some time.
“I have had a bit of time to reflect on the record going and frankly, it comes as no surprise,” Smith told the Guardian. “The way guys approach one-day cricket now, it was always around the corner. If I said I wasn’t disappointed I might be telling a little white lie but I’m very excited for Alex. It’s a cliche but records are there to be broken. Although my money was on Joe Root doing it.
“It brings back many fond memories and to hold on to that record for as long as I did, well, I’m very proud. But all good things come to an end, I guess. I don’t think Alex will hold on to the record for as long as I did mine though.”
Smith’s record came in a losing cause at Edgbaston, at a time when whites were still worn and 55 overs was the format, and he feels it is extra special that Hales’s assault on Pakistan’s bowlers helped set up a record 444 for three, surpassing the 443 for nine posted by Sri Lanka against Netherlands at Amstelveen in 2006.
The former Hampshire right-hander, who has recently begun passing on his experience as a coach, is in awe of the skill levels of the modern player, which is high praise indeed from the owner of a cut shot that remains up there with the most violent witnessed in the sport.
“I’m pleased Alex was able to get it against a good team too, not Zimbabwe or the like. I don’t follow as closely as I should but I understand he needed a score. I hope it gives him the confidence to feel more comfortable and go on and get more big scores from here. And it came on such a special occasion, with England breaking the record for the highest total too.
“These guys work harder, are stronger than we were and are more exposed to the format than during our time. I think I played 71 ODIs in eight years – they do that in a four-year World Cup cycle now. Plus, Twenty20 has made them believe they can score runs quicker than in our day. We would get twitchy about chasing six runs an over, these guys just do it at a canter.”
It was something of a curiosity for those who would drool at the way he stared down the fastest attacks in the world that Smith, for all the mustachioed machismo he exhibited with a bat in hand in the 80s and 90s, was not always the most inwardly confident cricketer during his playing career. That a batsman who averaged 43 in Test cricket did not win more than 62 caps feels more damning on those in charge at the time, however.
Man-management – or lack of – is one of the reasons Smith has previously cited for this shortfall and now, from his home in Perth where he works for a company run by his brother Chris, the 52-year-old is pleased to learn that England cricketers are being told to express their talent by the current coaching set-up under Trevor Bayliss and Paul Farbrace.
The message is seemingly getting through too and England have hit six of their eight highest one-day totals since their harrowing group stage exit in the World Cup early last year. Smith, who was part of the squad that reached the final in 1992, is equally impressed by the innovation shown by the likes of Jos Buttler, whose English record 22-ball half-century on Tuesday was just the latest in a growing list of firework displays.
Smith added: “We didn’t progress or improve as we should have done after the 1992 World Cup. In fact, we stagnated. It might have been the coaches didn’t encourage flair and enjoyment. ‘Go out and express yourself’ should have been the message. If players work hard in practice, then these messages give them the conviction and confidence to play in a positive way. If that hasn’t been the message previously, then it’s sad. Sad that it’s taken such a long time for a top coach to acknowledge that. I’m flabbergasted if that hasn’t been drilled into the players since I was a player. If I was involved, that would have been the first thing I would have put in place: Practise hard and have fun.
“But it’s just lovely to see them play with such flair and confidence now – that is great to watch. The shots and improvisation is very interesting and it’s a very different game now.”
