Jim Smith (cricketer)

Cedric Ivan James Smith (25 August 1906 – 8 February 1979) was an English cricketer who played in five Test matches for the England cricket team between 1935 and 1937.

Jim Smith
Personal information
Full nameCedric Ivan James Smith
Born(1906-08-25)25 August 1906
Corsham, Wiltshire
Died8 February 1979(1979-02-08) (aged 72)
Mellor, Lancashire
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm fast
RelationsWilliam Smith (brother)
International information
National side
Test debut8 January 1935 v West Indies
Last Test24 July 1937 v New Zealand
Career statistics
Competition Tests First-class
Matches 5 208
Runs scored 102 4,007
Batting average 10.19 14.67
100s/50s 0/0 1/15
Top score 27 101*
Balls bowled 930 43,058
Wickets 15 845
Bowling average 26.19 19.25
5 wickets in innings 1 47
10 wickets in match 0 8
Best bowling 5/16 8/102
Catches/stumpings 1/– 98/–
Source: CricketArchive, 30 May 2010

Career

Known as "Big Jim", Smith joined the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) ground staff in 1926 and played for Wiltshire until 1933. He qualified for Middlesex in 1934 and took 172 wickets at 18.88 to finish 6th in the bowling averages in his debut season. He was selected for the 1934–35 MCC tour of the West Indies on the strength of this performance and played in every Test there. On debut, he took five wickets in the second innings in Bridgetown.[1] He also appeared for England against New Zealand at Old Trafford in 1937. Smith only batted 10 times in Tests, but until his last innings he never batted in the same position in two successive innings. During his brief career he batted at numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 (twice) and 10 (twice).[2]

In 1935, Smith was elected one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year for his achievements in the 1934 season.

A six-foot four inch fast bowler, Smith's accuracy and appetite for hard work earned him 676 career wickets at 17.75 before the onset of World War II effectively ended his career.

Although primarily a fast bowler, Smith earned a reputation as a big-hitting tail-ender. In 1938, he scored a half-century in just 11 minutes against Gloucestershire at Bristol, the fastest genuine fifty on record.[3][4] Previously, in 1935, he had scored 50 in 14 minutes against Kent while his sole first-class century, an unbeaten 101, was scored in 81 minutes, also against Kent.[5] Another achievement was being credited by some with the biggest six in history, at Lord's in 1937, when he played a shot that cleared the Old Grandstand on the north side of the ground.[5]

His older brother, William, also played first-class cricket.

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References
  1. "1st Test: West Indies v England at Bridgetown, Jan 8-10, 1935". espncricinfo. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  2. Walmsley, Keith (2003). Mosts Without in Test Cricket. Reading, England: Keith Walmsley Publishing Pty Ltd. p. 457. ISBN 0947540067.
  3. Frindall, Bill (1998). The Wisden Book of Cricket Records (Fourth ed.). London: Headline Book Publishing. p. 124. ISBN 0747222037.
  4. Williamson, Martin. "The ultimate slogger". www.ESPNCricinfo.com. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  5. Bearshaw, Brian (1986). The Big Hitters. England: Queen Anne Press. p. 199. ISBN 0356106845.
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