Robin Smith

Fearless yet fragile, much-loved yet mucked about, Smith's England career was a curious catalogue of contradictions. At his best he hammered fast bowling with supersonic cuts and hooks and visibly enjoyed the regular snatches of chin music from the West Indian quicks. At worst those rigid forearms were a handicap against his Achilles heel of slow bowling, and when he thrust forward hopefully even part-time offspinners fancied their chances. Even so, when he was dropped after the 1995-96 series in South Africa, Smith possessed the highest average of any contemporary England player. It did give him more time to concentrate on his various business interests and captaining Hampshire, but the feeling persists that England could have got more out of him. Lawrence Booth