Former England cricket captain Ted Dexter passes away aged 86
Former England captain and MCC President, Ted Dexter passed away on Wednesday, August 25, aged 86, in Wolverhampton. Dexter, a prolific middle-order batsman and medium pacer, represented England in 62 Tests between 1958 and 1968, leading the side in 30 of them.
The Marylebone Cricket Club on Thursday, announced the demise of Ted Dexter, who breathed his last in the Compton Hospice in Wolverhampton on Wednesday, August 25.
"Ted was a cherished husband, father and grandfather and one of England's greatest ever cricketers. He was captain in 30 of his 62 Test matches and played the game with the same sense of adventure and fun that captures much of the story of his remarkable life," said a statement by the MCC on Thursday.
"His off-field contribution to the game was substantial too, most notably his work, with Colin Cowdrey, on the Spirit of Cricket. Through his own PR Agency, he became a pioneer in cricket's digital technology revolution and he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame earlier this summer. We kindly request that the privacy of Susan, his wife, and Genevieve and Tom, his daughter and son, is respected at this difficult time."
"One of the most stylish batsmen of any era."
— ICC (@ICC) August 26, 2021
📽️ Remembering cricketing great, Ted Dexter, who was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame earlier this year. pic.twitter.com/jxCoVKsr6a
Dexter was an aggressive batsman who played Test cricket from 1958 to 1968, aggregating 4,502 runs at 47.89, while bagging 66 wickets from 62 games. The legendary batsman holds the record for most runs in an Ashes series in Australia by an English skipper, having amassed 481 runs during the 1962-63 Ashes tour. In 1962, Dexter scored six consecutive half-centuries while playing against Australia and Pakistan, which, till date, is bettered only by six other batsmen. He registered nine Test centuries with a career best of 205.
The former Sussex cricketer scored 21,150 runs and took 419 wickets from 327 first-class matches between 1956 and 1968. After his retirement, he served as England’s chairman of selectors and also contributed in devising a ranking system for Test players, which was later adopted by ICC for building a base to form today’s rankings.
Dexter served as a chairman of selectors for the England team between 1989 and 1993 and was later appointed the President of the MCC in 2002. He was awarded a CBE in 2001.
One of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year in 1961, Dexter was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame as a special inductee ahead of the inaugural World Test Championship final in Southampton.