After playing in the Test series against Sri Lanka and Australia, where he made a highest score of 48 from eight innings, he was dropped from the side for the tour to New Zealand. However, following a career best performance for the Windward Islands, scoring 212 runs against Guyana, he was rewarded with a recall to the side for the home series against England. He played in all five Tests of the series and finished with an average of 27.50 with a highest score of 55, his only half-century. He also played both matches of the following Test series, again against England. Although he failed to reach a half-century in his four innings, his average of 26.25 was the third highest for the West Indies. The second Test against England was the last Test Smith played in 2009, however he featured in the home ODI series against Bangladesh, where he made a highest score of 65. He was playing with an under-strength West Indies team because of the West Indies Players' Association strike. He played only one international match in 2010, scoring 55 in a drawn Test against Sri Lanka. Despite not playing in an ODI since September 2009, Smith was included in the West Indies squad for the 2011 Cricket World Cup. He finished the tournament as the highest run-scorer for the West Indies; 300 runs at an average of 42.85 and a top score of 107, his first ODI century.