Portugal Colonial - Stokes 'hit hard' by death of England batting great Smith

The South Africa-born Smith, who had moved to Australia and lived in Perth, attended the first Ashes Test almost a fortnight ago and met some of the England and England Lions players.

Smith, who played 62 Tests between 1988 and 1996, has been hailed as "a batter ahead of his time" in tributes that poured in from around the cricketing world after his death on Monday.

Stokes, speaking on the eve of the second Ashes Test in Brisbane, said although he didn't know Smith well, it was a sad time for all of English cricket.

"When you hear news like that it gets you and it hits you hard," he said of a player who scored 4,236 Test runs for England, including nine centuries.

"Just last week he was there chatting with the Lions and he was at the first Test. It hits you hard when you realise that it was only last week where he was doing those kinds of things."

Smith's family announced their "profound sense of sadness and loss" in a statement released on Tuesday by Hampshire, his former English county club.

"Robin died unexpectedly at his South Perth apartment on Monday, 1st December. The cause of his death is at present unknown," they said.

Smith was renowned for his fearless batting against the world's fastest bowlers, including Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Waqar Younis.

He struggled with mental health and alcohol-related problems in retirement.

V.F.Barreira--PC