John Watkins (South African cricketer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
John Watkins

The South African touring team in 1952–53. Watkins is standing in the centre of the back row.
Personal information
Full name	John Cecil Watkins
Born	(1923-04-10)10 April 1923 Durban, South Africa
Died	3 September 2021(2021-09-03) (aged 98) Durban, South Africa
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm medium
International information
National side	South Africa (1949–1957)
Test debut (cap 174)	24 December 1949 v Australia
Last Test	1 January 1957 v England
Career statistics
Competition Tests First-class Matches 15 60 Runs scored 612 2158 Batting average 23.53 24.80 100s/50s 0/3 2/8 Top score 92 169 Balls bowled 2805 9073 Wickets 29 96 Bowling average 28.13 28.52 5 wickets in innings 0 1 10 wickets in match 0 0 Best bowling 4/22 5/37 Catches/stumpings 12/– 54/–
Source: Cricinfo

John Cecil Watkins (born April 10, 1923 – died September 3, 2021) was a talented South African cricketer. He played for his country in 15 Test matches between 1949 and 1957. When he passed away at 98 years old, he was the oldest living Test cricketer. He was also the last player left from the team that toured Australia and New Zealand in 1952–53.

Playing Cricket

John Watkins was a great all-around player. He was a strong batsman who hit the ball hard. He also bowled at a medium pace and was excellent at catching the ball in the slips fielding position.

He played two Test matches against Australia in South Africa in 1949–50. However, he could not join the team for their tour of England in 1951.

Best Series

Watkins had his best batting performances during the tour of Australia in 1952–53. He scored 352 runs in total during that series. In the Fifth Test match in Melbourne, Australia scored 520 runs first. Watkins, batting at number three, scored 92 runs. This was his highest score ever in a Test match. He also scored 50 runs in the same game. His efforts helped South Africa win the match by six wickets. This victory made the series a tie, with two wins for each team.

His best bowling figures came in the next Test match. This was against New Zealand in Wellington. He started the bowling attack and took 4 wickets for only 22 runs in the second innings. For the whole match, he took 5 wickets for 51 runs. South Africa won this match too. In his five Test matches against New Zealand, he took 18 wickets.

Playing for Natal

John Watkins played for the Natal cricket team from 1946–47 to 1957–58. His highest score for Natal was 169 runs. He made this score against Orange Free State in Durban in 1950–51. He also scored another century, 144 runs, against Transvaal in Durban in 1955–56. His best bowling figures for Natal were 5 wickets for 37 runs. This happened against Rhodesia in Salisbury in 1957–58. This was in his second-to-last match.

A famous cricket writer, Christopher Martin-Jenkins, described Watkins' batting. He said Watkins was a "right-handed batsman with a fine range of scoring strokes." He added that Watkins' batting, "like the man himself, was cavalier and joyous." This means he played with a bold and happy style.

Personal Life

John Watkins was born in Durban, Natal, and grew up there. From birth, he had some mild issues with his hips and lower back. These required five operations after he stopped playing cricket.

After finishing school at Glenwood High School, he joined the military. He served in World War II in Italy. At first, he trained to be a pilot for a Supermarine Spitfire plane. But then it was discovered that he was colour-blind. Because of this, he was moved to air traffic control instead.

After his cricket career, he worked as a secretary-accountant. He was the last surviving member of the South African team that toured Australia and New Zealand in 1952–53. After another cricketer, Lindsay Tuckett, passed away in 2016, Watkins became the oldest living Test cricketer. He passed away on September 3, 2021, in Durban.