Stokes 'hit hard' by death of England batting great Smith / Photo: © AFP
-
British buyers pay substantial premiums for period-home appearance
-
Oxford faces complaints over lecturer’s classroom attire
-
Thomas Markle released to house arrest after child-abuse-image charge
-
Kyren Wilson and John Higgins reach International Championship snooker final
-
Dawn of War 4 developers chose Adeptus Mechanicus for tactical variety
-
New Zealand and Tonga meet for place in Rugby League World Cup final
-
Italy face unbeaten South Africa in Turin Nations Championship match
-
Reports of unsafe AI-toy responses renew calls for child-safety rules
-
ChatGPT interactive interface feature tested across six custom tools
-
Juneau food network combines difficult supply routes with deep sharing traditions
-
Freshways milk-price cut deepens pressure on UK dairy farms
-
India climbs green-transition ranking after first emissions decline in 25 years
-
Labour and National remain virtually tied as New Zealand vote count advances
-
Trump names Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff after midterm losses
-
The Good Daughter adapts Karin Slaughter thriller with Rose Byrne and Meghann Fahy
-
Restored Albanian tower houses anchor new rural tourism trail
-
Heavy-lift drone evacuates wounded Ukrainian soldier from frontline kill zone
-
Sonia Gandhi reflects on family tragedy and reluctant political career
-
Morrison says West Brom recovered after pressure from successive derby losses
-
Pope Leo begins three-country South American tour in Uruguay
-
Britain considers 2027 state visit for Ukraine’s Zelensky
-
Khawaja says entire Australia camp knew of 2018 ball-tampering plan
-
Udinese Falls to Last Place in Serie A After Loss to Venezia
-
Arizona Voters Ban Speed Camera Expansion Amid Vandalism Crisis
-
BSG Chemie Leipzig Defeated by Regionalliga Leaders Rot-Weiß Erfurt
-
Dance Work 'On the Floor' Returns to SF to Explore Queer History and AIDS Crisis
-
Trump and Vance Pursue Secret Diplomacy with Iran Amid Military Pressure
-
Jimenez Extends Lead Over Anderson in Richmond Mayoral Race
-
Inside SFFILM’s Operations: Jordan Menashe on Managing Doc Stories Logistics
Stokes 'hit hard' by death of England batting great Smith
England cricket captain Ben Stokes said Wednesday the sudden death of former batsman Robin Smith at the age of 62 "hits you hard".
The South Africa-born Smith, who had moved to Australia and lived in Perth, attended the first Ashes Test almost a fortnight ago and met some of the England and England Lions players.
Smith, who played 62 Tests between 1988 and 1996, has been hailed as "a batter ahead of his time" in tributes that poured in from around the cricketing world after his death on Monday.
Stokes, speaking on the eve of the second Ashes Test in Brisbane, said although he didn't know Smith well, it was a sad time for all of English cricket.
"When you hear news like that it gets you and it hits you hard," he said of a player who scored 4,236 Test runs for England, including nine centuries.
"Just last week he was there chatting with the Lions and he was at the first Test. It hits you hard when you realise that it was only last week where he was doing those kinds of things."
Smith's family announced their "profound sense of sadness and loss" in a statement released on Tuesday by Hampshire, his former English county club.
"Robin died unexpectedly at his South Perth apartment on Monday, 1st December. The cause of his death is at present unknown," they said.
Smith was renowned for his fearless batting against the world's fastest bowlers, including Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Waqar Younis.
He struggled with mental health and alcohol-related problems in retirement.
C.Meier--BTB