Yet there is a small chance that if you know Smith at all, your memory of him is somewhat at odds with this. The first impression is always the strongest, and for many English fans it was the sight of Smith during the 2010-11 Ashes, wafting and hewing outside the off-stump, serving up a healthy diet of leg-spinning half-trackers, generally looking like a hamster amongst men. He claimed his role in the team was to raise spirits by telling jokes. Everybody laughed. It was pretty funny.