England cricket icon Robin Smith has died aged 62.
The legendary batsman passed away in Perth, his former teammate and close friend Kevan James has announced.
James broke down in tears as he announced the news on BBC Radio.
“It’s been horrible. It was happening as I was reading out some sports news,” he said on Tuesday.
“It’s a sad day, but when you look at someone’s career… At the time, in the 80s and 90s, he was England‘s best batter.”
“He averaged 43 in Test matches and he averaged over 40 when he was dropped after the mid-nineties Test series in South Africa…
“… which is quite incredible now, isn’t it, to think a batter would be dropped averaging that many.
“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 played 62 test matches for England and finished his international career in 1996.
His heartbroken family said that he died “unexpectedly” at his apartment in South Perth.
A statement read: “It is with the deepest and most profound sense of sadness and loss that we must announce the passing of Robin Arnold Smith.
“Robin died unexpectedly at his South Perth apartment on Monday 1st December. The cause of his death is at present unknown.
“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.
“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.
“This is an immensely difficult period for us all whilst we try to come to terms with our bereavement. We would therefore much appreciate consideration for our privacy.”
Just last week, Smith, known as ‘The Judge’, opened up about his struggles with alcoholism and mental health and told how he had come “within minutes” of ending his own life.
“I speak a little bit now publicly about mental health,” he told the Daily Mail, “And I was very, very close twice, within minutes, of finishing my life.”
“I wish I’d spoken to my friends. I didn’t want to burden them with my problems, but I should have reached out to them.”
The England cricket hero also recently opened up about his near-death experience.
Just eighteen months ago, Smith’s friends and family were told that he may only have two days to live.
Years of alcohol abuse, exacerbated by depression, ravaged his body to the point that doctors told his loved ones he was close to death.
It saw Smith, who played all formats of cricket for England, hospitalised for four months.
After being forced to leave the hospital to make way for a new patient, Smith underwent a painstaking rehab.
This included learning how to walk away, with the help of his son Harrison and Karin, his wife of 17 years.
This story was originally appeared in The Sun and is republished here with permission.
