Ed Smith (cricketer)

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Personal information
Ed Smith
England
Full name	Edward Thomas Smith
Nickname	Smudge
Born	19 July 1977 (1977-07-19) (age 30)
	Pembury, Kent, England
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Role	Batsman, author
Batting style	Right-handed
Bowling style	Right arm medium
International information
Test debut (cap 617)	14 August 2003: v South Africa
Last Test	4 September 2003: v South Africa
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2005 –	Middlesex
1996 – 2004	Kent
Career statistics
	Tests	FC	LA
Matches	3	185	129
Runs scored	87	12392	3668
Batting average	17.40	41.86	31.35
100s/50s	0/1	34/50	2/25
Top score	64	213	122

Balls bowled	0	108	0
Wickets	–	1	–
Bowling average	–	119.00	–
5 wickets in innings	–	–	–
10 wickets in match	–	–	–
Best bowling	–	1/60	–
Catches/stumpings	5/–	82/–	27/–
As of 5 April 2008 Source: Cricinfo

Edward Thomas Smith, MA (born 19 July 1977, Pembury, Kent, UK) is an English cricketer, author and journalist.

He is the son of the novelist Jonathan Smith. He was educated at Tonbridge School (where he was in the dayboy house Welldon House) and he read History at Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he obtained a double first, despite devoting much of his time to cricket. He made a century on his first-class debut, for Cambridge University.

Smith has played three home Test matches for England versus South Africa in 2003. He made 64 on debut, but put together 23 runs in his next four innings, and was dropped for the subsequent tour of the subcontinent.

Smith is a tall right-handed batsman with a penchant for the drive and has represented England, Cambridge University, Kent and Middlesex. During ten years of first-class cricket, he has scored 31 centuries. After the 2004 season, he moved clubs from Kent, his county of birth, to Middlesex. He was appointed as the 27th County Captain of Middlesex for the 2007 season, succeeding Ben Hutton.

In 2003 he had a Bradmanesque July for Kent: 135, 0, 122, 149, 113, 203, 36, 108, 32. He averaged 72.99 for the 2003 first-class season when he was selected for England.

Smith has written a book titled Playing Hard Ball which describes his interest in the game, psychology, history and mythology of American baseball and compares it to cricket. His diary of the eventful 2003 season, On and Off the Field was highly praised, and shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year and The Cricket Society Book of the Year Award in 2004. He has also contributed cricket book reviews for the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack and history book reviews for the Sunday Telegraph. His most recent book, published in May 2008, is titled What Sport Tells Us About Life, a discussion of the role of sport in society, and its moral and ethical lessons.