‘He was a batter ahead of his time’: Robin Smith, former England cricketer, dies aged 62

Batter scored more than 6,000 runs for EnglandSmith was at Hampshire from 1982 to 2003Tributes have been paid to Robin Smith, whose swashbuckling batting and fearlessness at the crease lit up English cricket in an era when it often languished in the doldrums, following his death at the age of 62.Smith played 62 Tests for England between 1988 to 1996, averaging 43.67. But it was the sight of him taking the fight to the fastest pace bowlers of his generation that will live longest in the memory. C