Smith joined Middlesex in 2004 after he lost his place in the England team

Middlesex captain Ed Smith has retired from first-class cricket after failing to recover from a serious ankle injury.

The 31-year-old missed most of last season with the problem, and handed over the Middlesex captaincy to Shaun Udal at the end of the campaign.

Smith, who spent two years in the role, said: "It's been a real honour to captain Middlesex.

"I have been very lucky to play first-class cricket for eight years at Kent and four years at Middlesex."

Smith made three Test appearances for England in 2003 while playing for Kent and ends his career having made 12,789 runs in 191 first-class matches, scoring 34 hundreds and averaging 41.79.

606: DEBATE Give your thoughts on Smith's career

"Having taken over the captaincy when we were at a particularly low ebb on the field, he played a major role helping us achieve markedly improved results which culminated in us winning our first trophy for 15 years in this year's Twenty20 competition.

"He is a man with a wide range of talents and I am sure he will make a great success of his future career."

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