Former England skipper MJK Smith dies at 92

LONDON: M J K Smith, the former Warwickshire and England captain, has died at the age of 92 following a long illness.

As a player, Smith scored more than 30,000 runs for the Bears and is remembered as a shot-making, positive player in the days of largely reserved championship cricket, as per the Warwickshire website. Smith scored 39,832 runs in a 25-year career and was also capped 50 times by England, half of which came as captain between 1963 and 1966.

He hit 69 centuries (with a best of 204) and 241 fifties. He was often out when batting for the team rather than himself and generally scored runs at a good pace. He made 2,000 runs in a season six times running from 1957 to ’62.

A bit more on MJK Smith who has just passed away. He captained England in 25 of his 50 Test matches. He scored centuries in three consecutive varsity matches 1954-56. He scored 3,249 runs in the 1959 season alone. In one of his first ever games he was ct Fiddling b Nutter 0. pic.twitter.com/KIBfLENOMU

— Association of Cricket Statisticians & Historians (@ACScricket) May 18, 2026

Having retired from the First Class game in 1975, he became Club Chairman between 1991 and 2003, and was an ICC match referee between 1991 and 1996. He officiated in four Tests between 1991 and 1993 and 17 ODIs between 1991 and 1996.

Tracey Orr, Chair of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, said, “I was sorry to hear of the passing of MJK Smith this morning. He was not only a distinguished cricketer and respected captain for both Warwickshire and England but also a true gentleman of the game whose grace, sportsmanship, and contribution to cricket will long be remembered.”

“His legacy lives on through the generations he inspired, both on and off the field. My heartfelt condolences go to his family, friends, and fellow Bears who will be deeply saddened by this news”. (ANI)