England cricket great John Edrich dies aged 83
‘A wonderful man who I was lucky enough to spend some quality time with’: Ian Botham confirms fellow England cricket great John Edrich has died aged 83
- John Edrich, 83, passed away in the lead up to Christmas, it has been confirmed
- The former batsman had endured a long-term battle with a rare form of leukemia
- He was given an MBE in 1977 for services to cricket and played 77 Test matches
- Fellow great Ian Botham called him ‘a wonderful man who I was lucky enough to spend some quality time with’
Former England cricket great John Edrich has passed away aged 83, it has been confirmed
England cricket great John Edrich has passed away aged 83, Ian Botham has confirmed.
Edrich, awarded an MBE in 1977 for services to cricket, was considered one of the best batsmen of his generation and played 77 Test matches for England.
Botham, a cricket legend in his own right, tweeted: ‘Very sad news today to wake up on Christmas Day and to be told that John Edrich has passed away !! A wonderful man who I was lucky enough to spend some quality time with…RIP’
He had been battling a rare form of leukemia since 2000 and passed away in the days leading up to Christmas.
Edrich made his debut for the England Test squad in 1963 and played a total of 77 matches in which he amassed 5,183 runs at an average of 43.54, having also played for Surrey at county level during his career.
He also made history by playing in the first ever One-Day international match in 1971 in Australia, also hitting the first four in the process and is England’s 22nd highest Test run scorer.
Edrich also made the history books by becoming only the eighth man ever to hit a triple Test century, against New Zealand at Headingley, Leeds, in 1965.
Edrich, seen here playing against Australia at the Oval in 1972 (right), enjoyed a long and successful career with England and Surrey
He went on to be named as the President of Surrey Cricket Club, where he spent his career
Edrich becameoonly the eighth man ever to hit a triple Test century, against New Zealand at Headingley, Leeds, in 1965
Edrich came from a famous cricketing family and his four cousins, Eric Edrich, Bill Edrich, Geoff Edrich and Brian Edrich all played first class cricket.
The world of cricket reacted to the news with shock and sadness.
Former England cricketer-turned-musician Mark Butcher said: ‘A Test triple-centurion and Surrey Cricket legend. RIP’.
Edrich spoke candidly about his illness in 2000 during an interview with The Independent.
The batsmen, known for his dogged determination, said he was ‘grateful’ for his life playing cricket despite his diagnosis.
‘I hadn’t seen a doctor for about 10 years, but I’d been feeling tired for a while. Having taken blood tests they discovered leukaemia.
‘It was quite a shock. You can’t fight it. You have to have faith in your consultant and the treatment,” he said to The Independent.
‘I asked how it was going to affect my lifestyle. They said I would feel tired from time to time and would have to live with it.
‘I think we’ve got to be grateful for what we’ve had.
I did something which I loved and had the ability to play cricket at the highest level.’
Edrich (centre) and The England cricket team visit the Decca recording studio on Broadhurst Gardens, West Hampstead, London, UK, to record ‘The Ashes Song’, April 1971.
