John Watkins (South African cricketer)

Watkins was a hard-hitting middle-order batsman, medium-pace bowler, and expert slips fieldsman. His best bowling figures came in the next Test, against New Zealand at Wellington, where he opened the bowling, taking 4 for 22 in the second innings and figures of 50.5–31–51–5 for the match; again South Africa won. In his five Tests against New Zealand (in 1952–53 in New Zealand and in 1953–54 in South Africa) he took 18 wickets at 13.50. and one other century, 144 against Transvaal, also at Durban, in 1955–56. His best bowling figures were 5 for 37 against Rhodesia at Salisbury in 1957–58, in his second-last match. Christopher Martin-Jenkins described Watkins as "a right-handed batsman with a fine range of scoring strokes – his batting, like the man himself, was cavalier and joyous". == Personal life ==

Watkins was born in Durban, Natal, and grew up there. He suffered from mild deformities of the hips and lower back from birth, which eventually required five operations after he retired from playing cricket. he served in the Second World War in Italy, at first as a trainee Spitfire pilot until it was discovered that he was colour-blind, after which he was transferred to air traffic control. He was the last surviving member of the side that toured Australasia in 1952–53. He died on 3 September 2021, in Durban from COVID-19 at the age of 98. == References ==