Wayne Larkins, former England batter dies at 71 having played 13 Tests and 25 ODIs for England between 1979 and 1991.
Former England batter Wayne Larkins dies aged 71.
After a brief illness, 71-year-old former England and Northamptonshire hitter Wayne Larkins passed away.
The nickname “Ned” refers to Larkins, who played in 25 ODIs and 13 Test matches between 1979 and 1991. He bowled two overs and batted at No. 7 in his second England appearance in the 1979 World Cup final, but his best moment came when he hit the game-winning runs at Sabina Park to give England an unexpected 1-0 lead during the 1989–1990 tour of the West Indies.
More than eight years had passed since Larkins’ sixth Test, and that was his seventh. If he hadn’t been banned for three years for his role in the 1982 rebel tour of South Africa, he might have played more in between.
Larkins, who played for Northamptonshire for the majority of his career and made over 700 appearances, is well-known for both his skill on the pitch and his lively off-field personality. After settling in Durham, he concluded a career in which he amassed 85 hundreds and scored 40,000 runs.
His wife, Debbie, was quoted on the Northamptonshire website: “Ned loved everyone he met and everyone loved him. People were drawn to his infectious energy. He lit up every room and never wanted the party to finish.
“He loved his soul mate of a wife and his precious daughters so much. He will be partying up in the sky, drinking a toast to everyone and to his own life. We are devastated but we’ll never forget his undeniably unique presence and his impact on our lives.
“We will carry him in our hearts forever.”