London, May 18: Former England Test captain Mike Smith has passed away at the age of 92, as confirmed by the Warwickshire County Cricket Club on Monday.
Smith had a remarkable career in cricket and also played as an international rugby union player for a brief period in 1956. He represented England in 50 Test matches, captaining the team in 25 of those from 1958 to 1972. Over his career, Smith scored 2,278 runs, including three centuries and 11 half-centuries. In recognition of his significant contributions to cricket, he was honored with the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1976.
Warwickshire confirmed the news of Smith’s passing. Before the start of the fourth day of their County Championship match against Glamorgan, players and officials observed a minute of silence in his memory.
The club expressed its sorrow on social media, stating, “Warwickshire County Cricket Club is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of legendary player MJK Smith at the age of 92.”
Smith captained Warwickshire from 1957 to 1967, amassing 39,832 first-class runs in 637 matches throughout his county career. Prior to joining Warwickshire, he played for Leicestershire from 1951 to 1955 and was also part of the Oxford University team for two years.
Making his Test debut against New Zealand in 1958, Smith was initially tried as an opener but excelled in the middle order. He scored his first century against India at Old Trafford in 1959. During the 1963-64 tour of India, he had the opportunity to captain the team in the absence of Ted Dexter and Colin Cowdrey. In his 25 Test matches as captain, he faced defeat only three times, achieving five victories and drawing 17 matches.
After retiring, Smith served as a referee for five years before returning to Warwickshire as chairman in 1991, a position he held until 2003. He also took on the role of ICC match referee. His son, Neil, continued the family legacy by captaining Warwickshire and representing England in One Day Internationals.
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