Robin Smith was born in apartheid South Africa, but qualified to play for England on account of his British parents. Smith made his Test debut against West Indies in 1988 and looked instantly at home on the big stage. He played 62 Tests, scoring over 4000 runs at an average of 43.67, and is remembered as one of England's greatest ever players of fast bowling. He also made the then highest score by an England batsman in a one-day international, hitting a spectacular 167 not out against Australia in 1993 and setting a record that stood for 23 years.

In retirement, he has settled in Perth, Western Australia, but he remains a club hero at his career-long county, Hampshire.

Rob Smyth has worked on the Guardian sports desk since 2004 and has written or edited ten books, including Kaiser: The Greatest Footballer Never to Play Football. He has also worked for Manchester United, the Daily Telegraph, The Times, ITV, Sports Illustrated and FourFourTwo.