Mike Smith

England|Top order Batter
Mike Smith
INTL CAREER: 1958 - 1972
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Alphabetically sorted top ten of players who have played the most matches across formats in the last 12 months

Full Name

Michael John Knight Smith

Born

June 30, 1933, Westcotes, Leicester

Age

90y 263d

Batting Style

Right hand Bat

Playing Role

Top order Batter

Education

Stamford School; Oxford University

RELATIONS

(son)

Other

Referee

Warwickshire team-mates of Mike Smith, who was universally known as "MJK", rated him the best county batsman, and the most straightforward and unselfish captain, of his time. His leadership qualities, which included fielding at forward short leg before helmets and shin-guards were in vogue, were possibly the biggest factor in his captaining England in half his 50 Tests, including successive tours of India, South Africa and Australia. Surprisingly, he was uninspired as manager in two tours in the 1990s. His great strength as a batsman was his pragmatism. He observed that that all bowlers except offspinners had most of their fielders on the off side, so considered it only sensible to aim to score most of his runs to leg, which he dubbed "The man's side". He was a quick judge of line and length (despite, or perhaps because of, wearing glasses), a six-footer of wiry strength, and the possessor of a strong right hand. He was able to fetch to midwicket balls that pitched a foot or more clear of the off stump, a gift that, allied to the sweep and pull, made him harder than most to bowl to. If the method wasn't all that easy on the eye, it was mighty effective in the county game: six times running (1957-62) he made 2000 runs in a season, most of them at a cracking pace. His son, Neil (NMK), played a handful of one-dayers for England and also captained Warwickshire.
John Thicknesse

Mike Smith Career Stats

Batting & Fielding

FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAve100s50s6sCtSt
Tests50786227812131.6331110530
FC63710911393983220441.8469241-5930
List A14013017310697*27.48015-400

Bowling

FormatMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
Tests50521412811/101/10128.003.58214.0000
FC637-48730551/0-61.003.7597.4-00
List A140-280---24.00-000

Umpire & Referee

FormatMatReferee
Tests44
ODIs1717
Mike Smith portrait

Explore Statsguru Analysis

Test
ODI

Debut/Last Matches of Mike Smith

FC Matches

Span
1951 - 1975

List A Matches

Span
1964 - 1975

Photos of Mike Smith

Mike Smith ; thumbnail portrait 2002
Former and current captains of England and Australia line up on the field during day three of the Centenary Test
A portrait of Mike Smith
MJK Smith, captain of England XI
Mike Smith leads England out to field
Mike Smith batting in 1964