During the second Test of the Ashes series at the Gabba, located in Brisbane, spectators saw black arm bands on the players of both England and Australia. The English captain Ben Stokes called the coin toss correctly and opted to bat, but before the game started, the players’ emotional moment of silence was the one time when the fans were informed about the reason for the arm bands.
A minute’s silence for Robin Smith by the players and the spectators
The whole audience in the arena was silenced for one minute in memory of Robin Smith, a former England and Hampshire cricketer, who died in the past week.
The players of both teams are wearing black armbands as a sign of mourning during the game. This is a customary practice in cricket to offer condolences to the departed or to someone who has made a huge impact in the sport.
Robin Smith, a prominent former England batter, passed away unexpectedly in Perth on December 1 at the age of 62. His family announced the news, stating that he had died at his South Perth apartment, and it was unexpected. Smith was respected for his bravery at the crease, his impressive batting technique, and his capability to master some of the fastest bowlers of his era.
The legacy of Robin Smith
It should be noted that Smith had a career at the international level that was quite remarkable. He was an England player for 62 Test matches from 1988 to 1996, during which he scored 4236 runs at an average of 43.67. His records included the making of 28 fifties, 9 hundred and the unforgettable score of 175 runs not out. In 71 One Day Internationals, he amassed 2419 runs with 4 centuries as part of his total.
At the national level, Smith was a faithful and legendary cricketer for Hampshire, the county of which he had been a part all the days long of his first-class career. He garnered more than 26,000 first-class runs with 426 matches played and had a total of 61 centuries as well. Besides this, he was a brilliant player in List A cricket, where he scored nearly 15,000 runs in 443 matches.
What adds to the poignancy of his demise for the public is that only about a fortnight before passing away, Smith was among the England Lions in their tour match at Perth. He had a long chat with the young cricketers lasting over an hour, giving them tips on the transition to international cricket and recounting stories from his long and triumphant career.
Comments are closed.