December 5, 2025 • 8 mins
Earlier this week cricket fans were saddened to hear that legendary English batsman Robin Smith had passed away.
Smith played 62 tests between 1988 and 1966, and died in Peth Australia, at the age of 62.
Bryan Young, a former test batting opener for the Black Caps, had formed a friendship with Smith, and joined Piney to pay tribute.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport Podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk ZB.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Very sad news this week with the passing of former
England batsman Robin Smith at the age of just sixty two.
Robin Smith played sixty two Test matches for England between
nineteen eighty eight and nineteen ninety six, scoring four two
hundred and thirty six runs at an average of nearly
forty four, with nine centuries. In a first class career
that stretched for more than two decades, he scored over
(00:34):
twenty six thousand runs. He also played in seventy one
One Day Internationals and was part of the England squad
that reached the nineteen ninety two World Cup final. Former
New Zealand opener Brian Young played against Robin Smith several
times and formed a friendship with him, including a three
Test series in England in nineteen ninety four. Brian Young's
(00:56):
with us. Brian understand that before that series in England
in nineteen ninety four, Robin Smith and Martin Crowe had
a wee side bet.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Is that right, yes, Jackson, and good afternoon everybody listening
in Yes, Judge. Robin Smith and Martin crow were very
old mates, and I got I got to know Judge
pretty well as well. But he and Martin went back
a long way. And during the ninety four tour event,
(01:29):
as mates do, they sort of have a bit of
bit of banter and a little bit of I'm going
to score more runs than you and the Test series,
and so there was obviously a wage you put on it,
which probably involved dinner and drinks and maybe maybe a
little hundred quidal or whatever. I don't know the details,
but it was it was a personal bet between the two.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
And well, let's go to the end of the series.
Martin Crow scored three hundred and eighty runs in that series,
including one hundred and forty in the second Test at
Lord's Robin Smith just the one hundred and twenty runs
across the series. So fair to say Martin won the bet.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Okay, Yes, and that's where that's where the story gets
gets really humorous, you know. And I have to say
that Judge was as a lot of the plaudits around
the around the world have have probably shown, he was
an outstanding human being, just a great guy. One of
the time great guys do anything for anybody, passionate, just
(02:29):
a quietly spoken and just a just a lovely guy.
A brutal destroyer of bowling attacks. You wouldn't think that
he was a gentle man at all, but he really
really was. And you know, obviously our heart go our
hearts go out to his family and friends and everyone
around the globe who knew him. But and and also
(02:52):
very humorous man as well, which was which was part
of it. And the thing that I remember the most.
We were at Lord's at the second Test and Martin
scored an incredible on hundred and four, literally on one leg,
if everyone might remember, he had a carbon fiber brace
on his leg and he was hobbling around, and he
(03:14):
scored this magnificent one forty odd at Lord's, which was
quite sobering for the rest of us. And and poor
old Judge was horrendously out formed. Like he was, he
did not know where his next run was coming from.
He was under extreme pressure from the selectors, from the
media or what the you know what the English you
(03:37):
like with, you know, putting pressure on people who are underperforming.
And he knew that he was on he was on
the precipice of being dropped and in the in the
first innings, we were walking between overs and Martin was
at gully and I was at second slip. And so
when you walk in between overs, you tend to walk
(03:58):
down the line of the wicket and you tend to
walk close to where the batsmen are having a chat
in the middle between overs. And I remember saying, good, good,
good morning, judge, how are you? And he says in
a South African accent, and I do apologize for people listening,
and he said, ah, youngie. He says, I've got this
rash on the back of my neck. My head's been
(04:18):
on the chopping block for so long. I've got this
massive rash. And this is a that's the sort of
guy he was. He was like, here he is in
the middle of the wicket, you know, having ai with
Graham Gooch or Michael Atherton or whoever it was. And
I've just said, you know, get a judge, how are you?
And he's just tucking the living mickey out of himself,
(04:40):
trying to, I think, probably alleviate the pressure and have
a bit of a laugh, because you're bat better if
you're smiling. But it didn't work, and he didn't get
very many I don't think. And then of course you know,
this is a little later on. He's still struggling, and
he would get a loose delivery and he'd hit it
straight to a field when he wouldn't get the gap.
(05:01):
And we were warm between the overs again another time,
and I didn't say anything, but Martin Crowe said, you know,
keep you know, how's it going, Judge, And he motioned
to his his chest and he opened up what was
like a pretend if he was wearing a blazer or
a jacket and if you can imagine somebody imagining he's
(05:24):
got to make believe jacket on, and he opened up
his opened up this make believe jacket, and he said, hey, Hogan,
how would you like me to pay? Would make me
to pay? Way visa MasterCard or American expression?
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Wonderful?
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Because yeah, it was just honestly, I was creasing myself.
So was Martin, so was so was Robin Smith, Judge,
and it was he was basically saying, you've scored this
magnificent one hundred and forty and I can't score a run.
There's no way on winning this bed. How would you
like me to pay? You know? But that was the
(06:02):
measure of the man in a in the middle of
a Test match where you know, a full house at Lord's,
the pressure's on, you know, the microscoes on, all the
cameras are on you, and and a difficult situation and
here he was trying to make light of the situation.
And I think that's the measure of the guy.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
What a great what a great couple of stories, Brian brilliant.
But as you say, he might have been out of
form in that particular series, but man, he could bat,
couldn't well. I remember watching him come over here for
a one day series headed that nineteen ninety two World Cup,
and just the way he used to play, you know,
cover drives and you know, all around the wicket. He
(06:42):
could play, couldn't he. Robin Smith?
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Oh well, certainly square of the wicket. And you know
there's some great series against the West and he's at
the heart of their powers and he would take them on.
So he was not a He was a destructive player
and he would never he would try and dominate. And
I used to love fielding a point. And the reason
I used to love feeling a point is because in
(07:06):
One day Internationals and what have you, I was often
slipped in the Test matches. But I used to love
being around point because that's where a lot of action
used to happen. The ball used to come quickly and
I used to like that and what have you. I
can tell you when you played England and Robin Smith
was batting, I'd go Harry, would you like to go point, mate?
Because he was probably one of the fiercestest, fiercest cutters
(07:29):
of the ball and no one would hit it harder.
And I can tell you if you were at point,
you were in for sore hands, that for sure. But yeah, look,
it's very sad news, but we should celebrate, you know,
a terrific person first and foremost and a terrific player secondly.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Well you've absolutely done that for us this afternoon. Brian,
thank you so much for joining us, and yeah, we
too were so wish the family of Robin Smith all
the best, Brian, great to chat, Thanks for taking our.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Call, My pleasure.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk z B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Weekend Sport Podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk ZB.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Very sad news this week with the passing of former
England batsman Robin Smith at the age of just sixty two.
Robin Smith played sixty two Test matches for England between
nineteen eighty eight and nineteen ninety six, scoring four two
hundred and thirty six runs at an average of nearly
forty four, with nine centuries. In a first class career
that stretched for more than two decades, he scored over
(00:34):
twenty six thousand runs. He also played in seventy one
One Day Internationals and was part of the England squad
that reached the nineteen ninety two World Cup final. Former
New Zealand opener Brian Young played against Robin Smith several
times and formed a friendship with him, including a three
Test series in England in nineteen ninety four. Brian Young's
(00:56):
with us. Brian understand that before that series in England
in nineteen ninety four, Robin Smith and Martin Crowe had
a wee side bet.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Is that right, yes, Jackson, and good afternoon everybody listening
in Yes, Judge. Robin Smith and Martin crow were very
old mates, and I got I got to know Judge
pretty well as well. But he and Martin went back
a long way. And during the ninety four tour event,
(01:29):
as mates do, they sort of have a bit of
bit of banter and a little bit of I'm going
to score more runs than you and the Test series,
and so there was obviously a wage you put on it,
which probably involved dinner and drinks and maybe maybe a
little hundred quidal or whatever. I don't know the details,
but it was it was a personal bet between the two.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
And well, let's go to the end of the series.
Martin Crow scored three hundred and eighty runs in that series,
including one hundred and forty in the second Test at
Lord's Robin Smith just the one hundred and twenty runs
across the series. So fair to say Martin won the bet.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Okay, Yes, and that's where that's where the story gets
gets really humorous, you know. And I have to say
that Judge was as a lot of the plaudits around
the around the world have have probably shown, he was
an outstanding human being, just a great guy. One of
the time great guys do anything for anybody, passionate, just
(02:29):
a quietly spoken and just a just a lovely guy.
A brutal destroyer of bowling attacks. You wouldn't think that
he was a gentle man at all, but he really
really was. And you know, obviously our heart go our
hearts go out to his family and friends and everyone
around the globe who knew him. But and and also
(02:52):
very humorous man as well, which was which was part
of it. And the thing that I remember the most.
We were at Lord's at the second Test and Martin
scored an incredible on hundred and four, literally on one leg,
if everyone might remember, he had a carbon fiber brace
on his leg and he was hobbling around, and he
(03:14):
scored this magnificent one forty odd at Lord's, which was
quite sobering for the rest of us. And and poor
old Judge was horrendously out formed. Like he was, he
did not know where his next run was coming from.
He was under extreme pressure from the selectors, from the
media or what the you know what the English you
(03:37):
like with, you know, putting pressure on people who are underperforming.
And he knew that he was on he was on
the precipice of being dropped and in the in the
first innings, we were walking between overs and Martin was
at gully and I was at second slip. And so
when you walk in between overs, you tend to walk
(03:58):
down the line of the wicket and you tend to
walk close to where the batsmen are having a chat
in the middle between overs. And I remember saying, good, good,
good morning, judge, how are you? And he says in
a South African accent, and I do apologize for people listening,
and he said, ah, youngie. He says, I've got this
rash on the back of my neck. My head's been
(04:18):
on the chopping block for so long. I've got this
massive rash. And this is a that's the sort of
guy he was. He was like, here he is in
the middle of the wicket, you know, having ai with
Graham Gooch or Michael Atherton or whoever it was. And
I've just said, you know, get a judge, how are you?
And he's just tucking the living mickey out of himself,
(04:40):
trying to, I think, probably alleviate the pressure and have
a bit of a laugh, because you're bat better if
you're smiling. But it didn't work, and he didn't get
very many I don't think. And then of course you know,
this is a little later on. He's still struggling, and
he would get a loose delivery and he'd hit it
straight to a field when he wouldn't get the gap.
(05:01):
And we were warm between the overs again another time,
and I didn't say anything, but Martin Crowe said, you know,
keep you know, how's it going, Judge, And he motioned
to his his chest and he opened up what was
like a pretend if he was wearing a blazer or
a jacket and if you can imagine somebody imagining he's
(05:24):
got to make believe jacket on, and he opened up
his opened up this make believe jacket, and he said, hey, Hogan,
how would you like me to pay? Would make me
to pay? Way visa MasterCard or American expression?
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Wonderful?
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Because yeah, it was just honestly, I was creasing myself.
So was Martin, so was so was Robin Smith, Judge,
and it was he was basically saying, you've scored this
magnificent one hundred and forty and I can't score a run.
There's no way on winning this bed. How would you
like me to pay? You know? But that was the
(06:02):
measure of the man in a in the middle of
a Test match where you know, a full house at Lord's,
the pressure's on, you know, the microscoes on, all the
cameras are on you, and and a difficult situation and
here he was trying to make light of the situation.
And I think that's the measure of the guy.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
What a great what a great couple of stories, Brian brilliant.
But as you say, he might have been out of
form in that particular series, but man, he could bat,
couldn't well. I remember watching him come over here for
a one day series headed that nineteen ninety two World Cup,
and just the way he used to play, you know,
cover drives and you know, all around the wicket. He
(06:42):
could play, couldn't he. Robin Smith?
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Oh well, certainly square of the wicket. And you know
there's some great series against the West and he's at
the heart of their powers and he would take them on.
So he was not a He was a destructive player
and he would never he would try and dominate. And
I used to love fielding a point. And the reason
I used to love feeling a point is because in
(07:06):
One day Internationals and what have you, I was often
slipped in the Test matches. But I used to love
being around point because that's where a lot of action
used to happen. The ball used to come quickly and
I used to like that and what have you. I
can tell you when you played England and Robin Smith
was batting, I'd go Harry, would you like to go point, mate?
Because he was probably one of the fiercestest, fiercest cutters
(07:29):
of the ball and no one would hit it harder.
And I can tell you if you were at point,
you were in for sore hands, that for sure. But yeah, look,
it's very sad news, but we should celebrate, you know,
a terrific person first and foremost and a terrific player secondly.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Well you've absolutely done that for us this afternoon. Brian,
thank you so much for joining us, and yeah, we
too were so wish the family of Robin Smith all
the best, Brian, great to chat, Thanks for taking our.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Call, My pleasure.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk z B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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