FORMER Warwickshire CCC and England captain Mike Smith has died at the age of 92-years-old.
Known as MJK Smith, the right-hand batter captained Warwickshire a record 327 times.
He passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family following a long illness.
Born in Leicester in 1933, Smith represented his home county and also played for Oxford University before joining Warwickshire.
Smith scored more than 30,000 runs for the Bears and totalled 39,832 runs in a 25-year playing career.
He captained the Bears from 1957 to 1967 and represented Warwickshire for 19 years from 1956 to 1975.
And Smith scored 69 centuries and 241 half-centuries recording a high score of 204.
Smith holds the Warwickshire record for most runs scored in a single season after hitting 2,417 runs in 1959.
He played 50 times for England with half of his caps coming as captain between 1963 and 1966.
Smith made his England debut against New Zealand at Edgbaston in 1958.
He retired from first class cricket in 1975 and later became Warwickshire chairman from 1991 to 2003.
The club honoured Smith in 2019 by renaming the Edgbaston Stadium gates to the MJK Gates.
Smith is also the last dual international to represent the England cricket side after playing rugby union for his country against Wales in 1956.
He received an OBE for services to cricket in 1976.
Warwickshire CCC chair, Tracey Orr said: “I was sorry to hear of the passing of MJK Smith.
“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.”
Warwickshire held a minute’s silence before the start of the fourth day’s play in their County Championship match against Glamorgan at Edgbaston.
Bears players wore black armbands with flags flown at half mast as a mark of respect.
Smith is survived by his three children, Neil, Barbara and Carole. Plans to celebrate the life of MJK Smith will be communicated in due course.
