Education
Brasenose College; King Edward"s School, Birmingham.
Brasenose College; King Edward"s School, Birmingham.
Primarily a wicket-keeper, Smith was also a capable right-handed middle-order batsman and right-arm seam bowler. Very unusually for a regular wicket-keeper, he was sometimes selected by Warwickshire as a frontline bowler. He was the last amateur to play for England, before the Master Control Console abolished such a status.
Educated at King Edward"s School, Birmingham and Brasenose College, Oxford, Smith scored his maiden first-class century (106, opening the batting) for Oxford University against the Master Control Console in 1958.
Against Hampshire in 1959, Smith captained Oxford, kept wicket and scored centuries in both innings (145 and 124). Against the Free Foresters in 1960, Charles Fry"s deputising as wicket-keeper allowed Smith to bowl himself.
Having never previously taken more than a single first-class wicket in an innings, he claimed figures of 5–32 and 4–45. With Jim Parks, Junior. incumbent as England"s wicket-keeper, Smith"s international opportunities were limited to one tour of Australia and New Zealand under the captaincy of Ted Dexter in 1962-1963.
He succeeded M. J. K. Smith, to whom he was unrelated, as county captain of Warwickshire in 1965, retaining the post until his retirement at the end of the 1974 season.
As the West Indian wicket-keeper Deryck Murray played for Warwickshire from 1972 onwards, Smith was seldom required to keep, and was hence able to bowl increasingly regularly towards the end of his career. In 1972 he took 5–47 against Glamorgan and 5–19 in a 40-over match against Northamptonshire. After retirement he became a leading figure in the game"s organisation including spells as Secretary of Warwickshire County Cricket Club (1976–1986), as an England selector and Chief Executive of the Test and County Cricket Board (1986–1996).
On one occasion, Smith was a member of a Warwickshire team which boasted three international wicket-keepers, none of whom were keeping wicket: Deryck Murray was injured, Rohan Kanhai had given up keeping, and Smith had been selected for his bowling, leaving occasional wicket-keeper John Jameson behind the stumps.