LONDON: Former England captain and fearsome pace bowler Bob Willis has died aged 70, his family announced on Wednesday.

Willis, who captained his country between 1982 and 1984, played in 90 Test matches with his most memorable performance taking eight for 43 in the Australian second innings of the third Ashes Test in 1981.

That series was known as ‘Botham’s Ashes’ due to the remarkable performances of England all-rounder Ian Botham.

Botham would later describe his team-mate as a “tremendous trier, a great team man and an inspiration — the only world-class fast bowler in my time as an England player.”

Willis finished his Test career with 325 wickets, which puts him fourth on the all-time list of England wicket-takers behind James Anderson, Botham and Stuart Broad.

“We are heartbroken to lose our beloved Bob, who was an incredible husband, father, brother and grandfather,” read the Willis family statement. “He made a huge impact on everybody he knew and we will miss him terribly.”

The former international cricketer is survived by his wife Lauren, daughter Katie, brother David and sister Ann.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2019