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Bob Willis, ex-England captain and Ashes hero, dies aged 70
Former England captain Bob Willis, who bowled his country to a famous Ashes test victory in 1981, has died aged 70 after a short illness, his family said on Wednesday.
London: Former England captain Bob Willis, who bowled his country to a famous Ashes test victory in 1981, has died aged 70 after a short illness, his family said on Wednesday.
Willis, known for his long, curving run-up and inspired spells of fast bowling, played in 90 tests and 64 one-day internationals from 1971 to 1984.
“We are heartbroken to lose our beloved Bob, who was an incredible husband, father, brother and grandfather. He made a huge impact on everybody he knew and we will miss him terribly,” a family statement broadcast on Sky Sports said.
Willis, who finished with 325 test and 899 first-class wickets despite bowling with pain from 1975 after surgery on both knees, worked for the broadcaster as a cricket expert and was known for his blunt criticism of the England team delivered in a distinctive deadpan style.
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The six foot six inch fast bowler instilled fear in batsmen at a time when most of the world’s best pace bowlers were from the West Indies or Australia. Unforgettably, he took eight wickets for 43 runs to fire England to an 18-run victory in the third Ashes test against Australia at Headingley in 1981 after Ian Botham’s iconic innings had dragged the hosts back into a game they looked certain to lose.
“The ECB is deeply saddened to say farewell to Bob Willis, a legend of English cricket,” the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement, adding cricket had lost “a dear friend”.
“He will always be remembered for his outstanding cricket career... In later years as a broadcaster Bob was a perceptive and respected voice at the microphone.”
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At the time of Willis’s retirement, only Australia’s Dennis Lillee had claimed more victims in test cricket and he remains fourth on the all-time list of England wicket takers after James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Botham.
Willis was last year named in England’s greatest Test XI by the ECB. (Reuters)