“It is with the deepest and most profound sense of sadness and loss that we must announce the passing of Robin Smith,” a family statement read.
“Robin rose to fame as one of England’s most charismatic and popular players.
“A brave and dashing batsman, he excelled both for Hampshire and his adopted country, collecting legions of admirers and friends along the way.”
Born in South Africa in 1963, Smith followed older brother Chris and future England international to Hampshire as a teenager, making his debut in 1982.
After a four-year qualification period, he was eligible to play for England, with his Test debut coming against West Indies at Headingley in 1988.
He made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka later that summer.
The following year Smith was England’s leading run-scorer, with 553, in a 4-0 home Ashes defeat by Australia.
Particularly prolific in English conditions, he scored seven of his nine Test centuries and averaged almost 50 on home soil.
He was a member of England’s 1992 World Cup squad but did not play in the defeat by Pakistan in the final.
Smith hit an unbeaten 167 off 163 balls against Australia at Edgbaston in 1993 – the highest score by an England player in the format until Alex Hales made 171 against Pakistan in 2016.
Smith’s struggles against spin and a persistent shoulder injury meant he was dropped from the Test side in 1994, and, although he earned a brief recall 12 months later, his international career ended at the age of 32.
