Peter Smith (English cricketer, born 1908)

Peter Smith
Personal information
Full name	Thomas Peter Bromley Smith
Born	30 October 1908; Ipswich, Suffolk, England
Died	4 August 1967 (aged 58); Hyères, Var, France
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Legbreak googly
International information
National side	England;
Test debut	17 August 1946 v India
Last Test	21 March 1947 v New Zealand
Career statistics
	Source: CricInfo, 14 December 2018

Thomas Peter Bromley Smith (30 October 1908 − 4 August 1967)

England. Smith was one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1947. An all-rounder, Smith played for Essex from 1929 to 1951.^[2]

Peter Smith was a

leg-break and googly bowler and a lower order hitter of some style. He holds the Essex records both for the number of wickets in a season (172 in 1947),^[2]

and for wickets in a career (1,610 between 1929 and 1951).

Smith originally turned up at

Gentlemen v. Players match at Lord's.^[2]

He served in

Combined Operations HQ at Alexandria.^[3]

While playing for Essex against Derbyshire at Queen's Park, Chesterfield in 1947, he batted at number eleven, and came to the wicket with Essex 199 for 9 wickets. In two-and-a-half hours, Smith hit 163 runs, putting on 218 for the last wicket with Frank Vigar, who made an undefeated 114.^[4] Smith's 163 is the world record score for a number eleven batsman,^[2] and the partnership is one of only eleven of more than 200 runs for the last wicket in the whole of first-class cricket. In that season of 1947, Smith achieved the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets,^[2] and also established the record for most runs conceded in a season: 4667.^[5]

Smith played only four

India, two against Australia in the 1946–47 Ashes series and the last in New Zealand later on the tour.^[2] As a Test player, he was only modestly successful, but in taking 9/121 runs for the MCC against New South Wales he set the record for the best bowling return by an Englishman in Australia.^[2]

Peter Smith died in

cerebral haemorrhage, after a fall on holiday.^[2]