John Desmond Nel (10 July 1928 – 13 January 2018) was a South African cricketer who played in six Tests from 1949 to 1957. Nel played 35 first-class games, top-scoring for his team on several occasions. He then went onto commentating on any matches played at Newlands. He worked as a quantity surveyor. Nel married Shelagh Mary Finegan in February 1952 and they had three sons and one daughter. He died on 13 January 2018 at the age of 89.