Bob Willis, former England captain, and the fast bowler passed away at the age of 70 after a short battle with cancer.
The announcement of his death was made by his family in a statement, saying, “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.”
Nicknamed “Goose” for his unconventionally loose-limbed approach to the crease will be forever synonymous with England’s 1981 Ashes victory, as he took eight for 43 in the Australian second innings of the third Ashes Test.
In his 90 matches Test career, Willis claimed 325 wickets.
His test career kicked off on the Ashes tour in 1970-71, when he was called up as a 21-year-old as a late replacement for the injured Alan Ward and played a full role in a famous 2-0 series win.
Willis had led England on 18 occasions in Test cricket, including the 1982-83 Ashes tour, where England was defeated 2-1 though not before pulling off a remarkable three-run win in the fourth Test at Melbourne.
He also captained England at the 1983 World Cup, where England was defeated by India.
After the retirement from Willis forged a career in the media. He was an acerbic and popular pundit on Sky Sports’ post-match show, named The Verdict.
The PCB is deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Bob Willis. We offer our condolences to Bob’s family, friends and England cricket fraternity. https://t.co/HUDoLDFKq5
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 4, 2019
