Former England cricketer Tony Pigott passes away at 67

LONDON: Former Sussex and England seamer Tony Pigott has passed away at the age of 67. After retiring from cricket, Pigott spent two years as Chief Executive Officer at Sussex from 1997 to 1999, before later joining the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2005 as a Pitch Liaison Officer, according to the ECB website.

Pigott played one Test for England and spent more than a decade working for the ECB after his retirement. Pigott made his sole Test appearance in 1984 against New Zealand at Christchurch. In that match, he took two wickets, finishing with figures of 2 for 75 from 17 overs in the first innings. He did not bowl again, as New Zealand batted only once after enforcing the follow-on on England.

In the match, Pigott claimed wickets of New Zealand’s opener Bruce Edgar before dismissing Jeremy Coney. Notably, Richard Hadlee scored 99 runs for New Zealand and then also led the bowling group to bowl England out twice under the score of 100 runs as England faced an innings and 132 runs defeat at the hands of the hosts. With the bat, Pigott scored 12 runs for England in the Test.

We are saddened to learn of the passing of former Sussex Cricket player and Chief Executive, Tony Pigott. pic.twitter.com/IQdtbcJk9l

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) February 2, 2026

Pigott claimed 672 wickets at an average of 30.99 across a first-class career that lasted 17 years, featuring in 260 matches for Sussex and Surrey. Pigott also scored 4,841 runs in his 260 first-class matches with one century and 20 fifties to his name, and the highest score of 104*.

He also featured in 270 List A matches, claiming 377 wickets at an average of 24.39. Pigott scored 1,727 runs with the highest score of 53.

When the role of Cricket Liaison Officer was introduced in 2015 — serving as the ECB’s representative at 1st XI matches and a forerunner to the modern Match Referee position — Pigott was among the inaugural appointees and continued in the role through the end of the 2018 season, according to the ECB website. His duties included supporting ground staff and umpires at domestic fixtures, as well as overseeing player conduct and pitch assessments. (ANI)