Bob Willis dies aged 70
Getty
A short battle with cancer has brought the end of legendary English fast bowler and one of the sport's most-loved commentators Bob Willis, who passed away at the age of 70. Willis is most remembered for his Headingley 1981 where he accumulated a figure of 8 for 43 to lead England to an 18-run win.
A forthright figure and always the first-one to reasonably criticise the performances, Goose, as Willis was known by many of English followers, had a cult status of his own. Many might remember him as the mainstay of Sky's The Verdict, a programme which summed up the day's Test match action, but some of the best hours of his life came with an England shirt.Ā
In the wake of Ian Botham's counter-attacking 149 not out in Headingley 1981, Willis toreĀ Australia's second innings to help England secureĀ an incredible 18-run win where his figure read 8 for 43. Since the 1982-83 Ashes tour, Willis was appointed England captain and led the team on 18 occasions in Test cricket and the team secured a three-run win in the fourth Test at Melbourne.
Willis' family said in a statement: "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."
Willis was also England captainĀ at the 1983 World Cup, where England were defeated by India, the eventual winners, in the semi-final at Old Trafford. Despite havingĀ surgery on both knees in 1975, he went on to claim 899 first-class wickets at 24.99 in 308 appearances, the majority of them in a 12-year career with Warwickshire.
On TV, he was acerbic yet popular thanks to hisĀ undertone of humour and that found him a lot of supporters from the current England team. After England's 2015 Ashes victory, Joe Root mimicked his style while wearing a mask in a live TV interview, and Willis clearly enjoyed it too.
