Robin Smith, the former England batter who scored more than 4,000 Test runs, has died aged 62.
Smith died unexpectedly at his home in Perth on Monday, his family announced. The cause of death is unknown.
Smith, who was known as “The Judge”, played 62 Tests and 71 one-day internationals for England between 1988 and 1996, scoring nine Test centuries and recording an average of 43.67 in the longest form of the game.
One of his most memorable innings was a dominant 175 against the West Indies’ legendary pace attack in the Caribbean in 1994. It cemented Smith’s reputation as a master against fast bowling, with a cut shot which chopped down some of the best bowlers in the world.
He was also part of the England squad that reached the 1992 Cricket World Cup final against Pakistan.
His family released a statement reading: “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 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, who was born in South Africa, spent two decades at Hampshire and captained the team for four years, and his former county teammate Kevan James discussed the news in a tearful interview on Solent News radio station on Tuesday.
“It’s been horrible,” James said. “It’s a sad day.
“At the time, in the 80s and 90s, he was England’s best batter. He was a super player, particularly of fast bowling in an era where the West Indies had all these fast bowlers. He was one of the few England batters who stood up to them and basically gave as good as he got.”
Smith endured mental health struggles after cricket and entered a long battle with alcoholism, which was recounted in his 2019 autobiography, The Judge.
He opened up in an interview with The Times last week, saying: “Cricket is like a family. You are together so much of the time. It’s difficult to adjust to normal life once that bubble bursts. You miss the adrenaline surge, you continue the old lifestyle and live beyond your means. If you don’t know how to reinvent yourself, that can leave you in a terrible position.”
He added: “Show your emotion, speak of your problems. There are close friends that will listen and support you if they love you. That’s the first step to recovery and I don’t think enough people do that.”
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of legendary batter Robin Smith.
— Hampshire Cricket (@hantscricket) December 2, 2025
Known as 'The Judge', Smith played over 600 times for Hampshire and scored over 30,000 runs for the club in a career that spanned more than 20 years.
Our thoughts are with his family and… pic.twitter.com/eEB715R3pr
His former England teammate Nasser Hussian paid tribute on Sky Sports. “Fond memories. An outstanding player of all types of bowling but especially fast bowling. There was no better sight that watching Judge – Robin Smith – take on an opposition fast bowler. He had no fear in him at all when facing the quicks.
“But my greatest memory was Judge the person. I got on so well with him, such a nice man ... all our thoughts are with his family and all those at Hampshire cricket.”
Fellow cricket analyst Michael Atherton, who was England captain when Smith played, added: “As a cricketer he gave this impression as an extremely strong, tough batter, which he was. But off the field he was quite shy actually, but the life and soul of the party. A very, very popular teammate, somebody who would do anything for you.”
Two weeks ago, England Lions head coach Andrew Flintoff invited Smith to speak to the team at Lilac Hill during their tour of Australia. Smith spoke with the players for more than an hour as he retold some of the stories of his career.
Richard Thompson, the ECB chair, said: “Robin Smith was a player who stood toe to toe with some of the quickest bowlers around, meeting spells of hostile fast bowling with a defiant smile and a ferocious shot. 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.”
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