Mike Smith, the former Warwickshire and England cricket captain known throughout the game as MJK, died at the age of 92, according to BBC Sport. Players and officials observed a moment of respect before play began at Edgbaston in the County Championship match between Warwickshire and Glamorgan on Monday.
Smith played 50 Tests for England, captaining the side in exactly half of those matches. He made his England debut against New Zealand at Edgbaston in 1958 and scored 2,278 runs across a 14-year Test career that included three centuries and 11 fifties. He was awarded the OBE in 1976 for services to cricket.
At the county level, Smith represented Warwickshire for 19 years from 1956 to 1975 and scored 39,832 first-class runs in 637 matches, the 18th-highest total in the history of the game. He captained Warwickshire from 1957 to 1967. His single-season record of 2,417 runs in 1959 still stands as the Warwickshire record, and he was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1960.
Born in Leicestershire and educated at Stamford School, Smith played for his home county and Oxford University before joining Warwickshire. He was also a dual international, representing England in rugby union. He played for Oxford University and Leicester and earned one cap against Wales in January 1956.
After retiring as a player, Smith remained active in cricket administration. He served as chairman of Warwickshire and later as an ICC match referee, officiating in four Tests and 17 one-day internationals.
