On December 25, Saturday, former England skipper Ray Illingworth passed away at the age of 89, after a prolonged battle with esophageal cancer. The former Ashes-winning English skipper led his country to a Test series victory in Australia in the 1970-71 series. In the very next day, the England cricketers paid homage to the former English skipper, who played for his side in 61 Test matches between 1958 and 1973.
English cricketers wore black armbands during the first day’s play of the current Ashes Boxing Day Test, played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Aussie skipper Pat Cummins won the toss and asked the English players to bat first. Joe Root and his men came to the ground with the black armbands in order to pay respect to Illingworth through this gesture.
“We are deeply saddened to learn that Ray Illingworth has passed away. Our thoughts are with Ray's family and the wider Yorkshire family who held Ray so dear to their hearts,” Yorkshire, the English county Illingworth had played for, tweeted.
Numbers and facts
Illingworth played 61 test matches for England between 1958 and 1973, scoring 1,836 runs with an average of 23.24 and he claimed 122 wickets.
He captained England 31 times, winning 12 of those matches.
As of 2015, he was one of just nine players to have claimed 2,000 wickets and scored 20,000 runs in first-class cricket.
Illingworth was successful at the county level also, winning seven county championships with Yorkshire between 1959 and 1967, before lifting the same trophy with Leicestershire in 1975.
His early time in charge of England also oversaw one of the team's most successful spells. He captained England for 19 of their 26-match unbeaten run between 1968-1971.
ECB statement
“It’s always incredibly sad to lose a person who has given so much to the English game, and to the sport of cricket in general,” English Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive officer Tom Harrison said.
“Ray was a superb cricketer, and his deep love, passion and knowledge for the game meant he continued to contribute long after his playing days had finished. We send our sympathy and warmest wishes to Ray’s friends and family at this difficult time,” he added.
