Former England and Sussex captain Ted Dexter has died aged 86.
Nicknamed ‘Lord Ted’, Dexter was an aggressive batsman and useful seam bowler who played 62 Tests for England and was captain between 1961-1964.
He led Sussex to victory in the first two editions of the limited-overs Gillette Cup and went on to make a surprise two-Test comeback in 1968.
In a statement, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) described Dexter as “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.”
The statement added that Dexter passed away peacefully in the Compton Hospice in Wolverhampton at mid-day on Thursday, 25 August, surrounded by his family.
An attacking middle-order batsman, Dexter scored 4,502 runs at an average of 47.89 for England and took 66 wickets at 34.9.
He was renowned for the power with which he hit the ball and arguably his most famous innings was against the West Indies at Lord’s in 1963 when he came in at 0-1 and smashed 70 off 73 deliveries. And six of his nine Test centuries were bigger than 140.
He missed the start 1964-65 tour of South Africa to stand as a Conservative Party candidate for Cardiff South East but joined the team as vice-captain after coming second in the ward.
After retiring, he helped devise a ranking system for Test players and was chairman of selectors for England.
The ranking system was adopted by the International Cricket Council and formed the basis of today’s system.
However, he had a difficult time as selector after inheriting a weakened England team between 1989 and 1993.
He was later named president of the Marylebone Cricket Club and was awarded a CBE in 2001.
