England and Australia players are wearing black armbands during the second Test of the 2025/26 Ashes, in tribute to former England batter Robin Smith.
Players from both teams are wearing black armbands as a mark of respect for Smith, who died earlier this week at the age of 62. Smith died unexpectedly at his home in Perth on Monday (December 1), his cause of death is unknown.
During the lunch interval on the second day of the first Test of the Ashes series at the Perth Stadium, Smith spoke movingly about his post-career struggles with mental health and alcoholism. He also addressed the England Lions players at Lilac Hill last week after being asked to do so by Andrew Flintoff.
We're wearing black armbands throughout all of the second Test to honour the memory of Robin Smith, who sadly passed away earlier this week.
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) December 4, 2025
Rest in Peace, Judge ❤️ pic.twitter.com/XOtQksH8Ck
Ahead of the second Test match of the series in Brisbane, Ben Stokes said: “It’s a very sad day. I didn't know him overly well, but I knew quite a lot of people who did and played a lot of cricket with him, and the same thing kept coming up, which was that he was an absolute belter of a bloke. It’s always a sad time when you hear news like that.
“Just last week he was there chatting with the Lions, and he was at the Test match, talking to people and going into quite a lot of detail about his life and opening up. It hits you a bit harder when you realise it was only a week ago he was doing those things.”
Robin Smith: 'A batter ahead of his time'
Smith played 62 Test matches for England between 1988 and 1996, and finished his England career with 4,236 runs at an average of 43.67, with nine centuries. He is remembered for his fearsome cut shots and as one of England's greatest-ever players of fast bowling.
Born in Durban in South Africa, Smith moved to England in the early 80s to play cricket for Hampshire. He made his England debut five years after his county bow, and put on a 103-run partnership with Allan Lamb in his first Test innings against West Indies. He also played 71 ODIs for England, and averaged 39.01 in the 50-over format. After he was passed over by England in 1996, he continued to play for Hampshire until 2003, amassing 26,155 First Class runs.
Smith struggled with alcoholism and his mental health following his retirement from the game, and almost died last year when he spent a month in hospital. Yet, with the help of his family, he recovered after medics estimated he had only a couple of days left to live.
In an interview published in The Times days before he died, Smith said: “You shouldn’t be too proud. Show your emotion, speak of your problems. There are close friends that will listen and support you if they love you. That’s the first step to recovery and I don’t think enough people do that. If they are genuine friends, they will be there.”
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
