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Ian Smith, a neat New Zealand wicket-keeper with a droll sense of
humour, was unchallenged as gloveman for his country for nearly ten
years, missing just a few Test matches through injury. He also became a
more accomplished lower order batsman as the years went by, usually
batting at number eight and contributing 20s or 30s in support of
established batsmen or trying to rebuild wrecked innings. His one day of
dominance came against India in 1989-90 when, after a top order
collapse, he was unstoppable against an attack lead by Kapil Dev and
Manoj Prabakhar and scored 173 out of 391.
Smith made his debut against
Australia in the first Test of 1980-81, under the captaincy off Geoff
Howarth, but was supplanted by Warren Lees for the rest of the series.
He first toured to Australia in 1981-82, but did not establish himself
until the England tour of 1983. However, he broke a finger and missed
the final Test. At Headingley that year he took seven catches, five of
them off the bowling of Ewen Chatfield. In 1983-84 he scored 113 not out
in the third Test against England at Auckland, 65 against Pakistan at
Wellington in 1984-85 and 53 at Georgetown, Guyana on the West Indies
tour of 1985. Injury forced him to go home early from the England tour
of 1986. In india in 1988-89 he scored 54 in Bombay and 79 in Hyderabad.
He played in two matches during the 1983 World Cup in England, was
first choice in the Cup matches in India and Pakistan in 1987 and an
integral part of the New Zealand team which reached the semi-final at
home in 1992. (Bob Harragan)
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