M. J. K. Smith
English cricketer (born 1933)
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Michael John Knight Smith, known as M. J. K. Smith or Mike Smith (born 30 June 1933, Westcotes, Leicestershire)[1] is an English former cricketer and rugby union player. Smith was educated at Stamford School and St. Edmund Hall, Oxford, where he read geography. He was President of Vincent's Club in 1956. He played for Leicestershire from 1951 until 1955, and for Warwickshire between 1956 and 1975. Smith played in fifty Tests for England between 1958 and 1972.[1]
Westcotes, Leicestershire
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Michael John Knight Smith | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 30 June 1933 Westcotes, Leicestershire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right arm slow medium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 386) | 5 June 1958 v New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 18 July 1972 v Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1951–1955 | Leicestershire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1954–1956 | Oxford University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1956–1975 | Warwickshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricketArchive, 22 March 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Life and career
A bespectacled right-handed batsman, Smith came to prominence playing for Oxford University, scoring centuries in three consecutive Varsity matches against Cambridge, from 1954 to 1956.[citation needed] Appointed captain of Warwickshire in 1957, he was one of the heaviest scorers in first-class cricket for the next 10 years, with 3,249 runs in 1959 as his highest aggregate. He remained as Warwickshire captain until 1967 when he retired, but he reappeared in 1970 and stayed until 1975.[citation needed]
Smith captained England in 25 of his 50 Test match appearances, yet in a period rich in batting talent he was rarely guaranteed a place. Uncertainty against fast bowling, particularly early in an innings, was exposed by a series of low scores in the mid 1960s, and Smith faced considerable press criticism, unusual for the time.[citation needed]
He also represented England at rugby union against Wales in 1956.[1] He remains England's last double international to date in major sports by reference to his final appearance in 1972.[1] Arthur Milton, a double international in football and cricket, is later in terms of his first appearance in a second sport, making his Test debut six weeks after Smith.[citation needed]
In recent years he has been chairman of Warwickshire County Cricket Club (1991–2003) and an ICC match referee (1991–1996).[citation needed] His son Neil Smith followed in his footsteps by captaining Warwickshire and playing, albeit only in One Day Internationals, for England.[citation needed]