Former South African spinner and selector of the Zimbabwe team, John Harcourt du Preez has passed away at the age of 77. du Preez had been ill for a long time and has now died. This has been confirmed by the South Africa Cricket Board. Cricket South Africa (CSA) said in a media release that du Preez fondly known as Jackie and died on Wednesday in Harare, Zimbabwe. Du Preez suffered from heart disease for some time. He was one of the Zimbabwean players to play for South Africa under the banner of the South Africa Cricket Association before his country became independent.

John du Preez represented the South African team in just two matches against Australia in the 1966–67 season. He was a leg-spinner and was known for batting as well. In 1960, du Preez performed brilliantly in domestic cricket. However, he did not succeed in international test cricket. He had taken only 3 wickets in two matches, while he could not score a single run with the bat.

Chief Executive of South Africa Cricket, Doctor Jack Fall said, "On behalf of the CSA, I express my condolences to him, his family and friends." He played first-Class cricket for 20 years. du Preez, who played cricket, was successful in scoring more than 4 thousand runs and taking 296 wickets, besides catching 80 catches.

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