#Letakan iklan disini
Cricket Jun 03, 2026

Mike Smith: Former Warwickshire and England cricket captain and rugby union international dies aged 92

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
Mike Smith: Former Warwickshire and England cricket captain and rugby union international dies aged 92

Former England captain Mike Smith has died at the age of 92, Warwickshire have announced.

Smith, known by his initials MJK, played 50 Tests for England, captain on 25 occasions, and was also a rugby union international as he earned one cap against Wales in 1956.

After a playing career that lasted almost two decades with Warwickshire, yielding nearly 40,000 first-class runs, Smith went on to serve as county chairman between 1991 and 2003 - a period during which Warwickshire won seven major trophies.

Warwickshire announced the news of his death on Monday morning, with a moment of silence held before the start of play on day four of their County Championship match against Glamorgan.

Smith made his first-class debut for Leicestershire prior to two years of compulsory military service, and continued to represent his native county while studying at Oxford University.

He joined Warwickshire in 1956 and was appointed captain the following year.

Smith's Test debut came in 1958 against New Zealand on home turf in Birmingham. Although initially selected as an opener, Smith began to flourish when moved to the middle order, making his first international century against India at Old Trafford in 1959.

His opportunity to captain the side came in the absence of Ted Dexter and Colin Cowdrey for a tour of India in 1963-64. In his 25 Tests as captain, Smith suffered defeat only three times with 17 draws and five victories.

Following retirement, he spent five years as a referee before becoming Warwickshire chairman in 1991 - overseeing a period which brought back-to-back county championship titles in 1994 and 1995.

His son Neil, known as NMK, followed in his footsteps to become Warwickshire captain and earning one-day international honours for England.

ECB chair, Richard Thompson, said: "Mike was part of a group of former players who did so much both on and off the field.

"Having a player of Mike's talent to chair a county as well as play for it was a huge benefit and Mike performed both roles with great distinction.

"His contribution to the game will not be forgotten."

Tags:

cricket news

Share this article

Related Posts

Women's T20 World Cup 2026: Free live cricket stream of all England, Scotland, Ireland games and final on Sky Sports App

Women's T20 World Cup 2026: Free live cricket stream of all England, Scotland, Ireland games and final on Sky Sports App

Your Site will make all 12 group matches involving England, Scotland and Ireland, as well as the semi-finals and final of the 2026 ICC Women's T20 Wor...

New Zealand prepare for England Test series with innings thrashing of Ireland inside three days at Stormont

New Zealand prepare for England Test series with innings thrashing of Ireland inside three days at Stormont

New Zealand warmed up for their three-Test series against England with a crushing innings-and-79-run victory over Ireland in a four-day game at Stormo...

Women's T20 World Cup 2026 squads: England, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, India, New Zealand and more

Women's T20 World Cup 2026 squads: England, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, India, New Zealand and more

Check out the squads for the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup, which takes place in England and Wales from June 12 to July 5, live on Your Site.Australia: S...

County Championship: Yorkshire inflict Surrey's first defeat of the season with dominant victory

County Championship: Yorkshire inflict Surrey's first defeat of the season with dominant victory

Yorkshire wrapped up an impressive win by an innings and 127 runs at Headingley as Surrey slumped to their first defeat of the season in Division One...

England Women's big summer of cricket: Charlotte Edwards' side to play first-ever Test at Lord's ahead of T20 World Cup

England Women's big summer of cricket: Charlotte Edwards' side to play first-ever Test at Lord's ahead of T20 World Cup

It is gearing up to be a monumental summer for Charlotte Edwards and England's Women's cricket side.Games are coming thick and fast ahead of this year...

Women's T20 World Cup 2026: Wicked to bring West End magic to tournament opening ceremony at Edgbaston

Women's T20 World Cup 2026: Wicked to bring West End magic to tournament opening ceremony at Edgbaston

The 2026 Women's T20 World Cup is to get under way with a spectacular live performance from the cast of Wicked ahead of England's tournament opener ag...