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Former England cricket captain MJK Smith dies aged 92 as tributes pour in
Reach Daily Express | May 18, 2026 9:40 PM CST

A former England cricket captain who also represented his country at rugby union has passed away. Mike Smith, widely known by his initials MJK, featured in 50 Tests for England, leading the side on 25 occasions, and also earned a single rugby union cap against Wales in 1956.

Following a playing career spanning nearly two decades with Warwickshire, during which he accumulated close to 40,000 first-class runs, Smith went on to serve as county chairman between 1991 and 2003, a period in which Warwickshire claimed seven major trophies.

Warwickshire confirmed the news of the 92-year-old's passing on Monday morning, with a minute's silence observed ahead of day four of their County Championship fixture against Glamorgan.

Smith made his first-class debut for Leicestershire before undertaking two years of compulsory military service, and continued to turn out for his home county while studying at Oxford University.

He moved to Warwickshire in 1956 and was handed the captaincy the following year.

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Smith's Test debut arrived in 1958 against New Zealand on home soil in Birmingham. Though originally selected as an opener, Smith truly flourished once repositioned in the middle order, registering his maiden international century against India at Old Trafford in 1959.

His chance to lead the side arose when Ted Dexter and Colin Cowdrey were unavailable for a tour of India in 1963-64. Across his 25 Tests as skipper, Smith tasted defeat on just three occasions, recording 17 draws and five wins.

Upon hanging up his boots, he devoted five years to umpiring before taking the helm as Warwickshire chairman in 1991, presiding over a golden era that yielded consecutive county championship titles in 1994 and 1995.

His son Neil, widely known as NMK, carved out a similar path, going on to captain Warwickshire and earning one-day international recognition with England.


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