Peter Smith (English cricketer, born 1908) facts for kids
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| Full name |
Thomas Peter Bromley Smith
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| Born | 30 October 1908 Ipswich, Suffolk, England |
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| Died | 4 August 1967 (aged 58) Hyères, Var, France |
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| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Legbreak googly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut | 17 August 1946 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 21 March 1947 v New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricInfo, 14 December 2018
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Thomas Peter Bromley Smith (born October 30, 1908 – died August 4, 1967) was a famous English cricket player. He played for the Essex team and also for his country, England. Peter Smith was known as an "all-rounder" because he was good at both batting and bowling. He played for Essex from 1929 to 1951. In 1947, he was even named one of the top five cricketers of the year!
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Peter Smith's Cricket Skills
Peter Smith was a special kind of bowler called a "leg-break and googly" bowler. This means he could spin the ball in tricky ways to confuse the batters. He was also a good batter, especially when batting lower down the order.
He holds some amazing records for his team, Essex. In 1947, he took 172 wickets in just one season! A wicket is when a bowler gets a batter out. Over his whole career, he took an incredible 1,610 wickets for Essex.
A Tricky Start to International Cricket
Peter Smith almost played for England in 1933, but it turned out to be a trick! He received a fake message telling him to come play in a big match. It took another 13 years before he was truly chosen to play for his country.
He was known for bowling very accurately. Even when a strong batter named Hugh Bartlett hit 28 runs off his six balls in a 1938 match, Peter still kept bowling well.
Peter Smith During World War II
Peter Smith served his country during World War II. He joined the British Army in 1939 and became an officer. He worked in the Middle East, helping to plan military operations.
Record-Breaking Moments
In 1947, while playing for Essex, Peter Smith had an incredible batting performance. He came to bat when his team was in trouble, with only 9 wickets left. He then scored 163 runs all by himself! He teamed up with Frank Vigar, and together they added 218 runs for the very last wicket.
Peter Smith's score of 163 runs is still the world record for a number eleven batsman. This means it's the highest score ever made by the last batter in the team. Their partnership was also one of only a few times in cricket history where the last two batters scored over 200 runs together.
In that same year, 1947, Peter Smith achieved a special cricket milestone called the "double." This means he scored over 1,000 runs and took over 100 wickets in one season.
Peter Smith's Test Matches
Peter Smith played in only four "Test matches" for England. Test matches are the highest level of international cricket. He played one match against India in 1946. He then played two matches against Australia and one against New Zealand in 1947.
While he wasn't super successful in Test matches, he did set a record for the best bowling by an Englishman in Australia. He took 9 wickets for only 121 runs in a match against New South Wales.
Later Life
Peter Smith sadly passed away in Hyères, France, in 1967. He was on holiday when he had a fall.
