Former England batter Wayne Larkins passes away at 71

NEW DELHI: Former England and Northamptonshire batsman Wayne Larkins has died after a short illness, aged 71, according to a report on the Northamptonshire website,.

The batsman passed away on June 28.

Between 1979 and 1991, Larkins, well known as “Ned”, participated in 13 Tests and 25 One Day Internationals. His second appearance for England was at the 1979 World Cup final, where he batted at No. 7 and bowled two overs. However, his greatest moment came when he scored the winning runs at Sabina Park, giving England a surprise 1-0 lead on the 1989-90 tour of the West Indies.

That was Larkins’ seventh Test, coming more than eight years after his sixth. He might have played more in between had he not been banned for three years for involvement on the 1982 rebel tour of South Africa.

Larkins played for Northamptonshire for the majority of his career, amassing over 700 games for the team, and was well-known for both his strokeplay and his vibrant demeanour off the field. After that, he relocated to Durham, where he eventually retired after a career that saw him score 40,000 runs and 85 centuries.

His wife, Debbie, was quoted on the Northamptonshire website, “Ned loved everyone he met, and everyone loved him. People were drawn to his infectious energy. He lit up every room and never wanted the party to finish.”

“He loved his soul mate of a wife and his precious daughters so much. He will be partying up in the sky, drinking a toast to everyone and to his own life. We are devastated, but we’ll never forget his undeniably unique presence and his impact on our lives,” she added.

Larkins passed 1,000 first-class runs in every season between 1978 and 1985, and his magnificent purple patch in 1983 – hitting 236 against Derbyshire at Derby and 252 off Glamorgan’s attack at Swansea in the space of seven weeks – might well have earned a Test recall, had he not been banned at the time for joining the unofficial tour to South Africa in 1982. (ANI)