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Brian Statham is dead

Former England fast bowler Brian Statham died in London on Sunday, aged 69. He was suffering from leukaemia.

Statham made his England debut in 1951 against New Zealand, and struck up a partnership with Fred Trueman which turned into one of the best new ball pairings of all time. In 70 Tests, Statham with his accuracy and nagging length bagged 252 wickets at 24.84. Together, the Statham-Trueman pairing accounted for 559 Test wickets, an awesome record.

Statham was known for relentless accuracy, a sparing use of the bouncer, and a gentlemanly demeanour sans the machismo modern fast bowlers portray.

Fred Trueman, reacting to the death of his old hunting partner, said he had known for a while that Statham was ill, but had promisd to keep the news quiet. "I want to sit back on my own, and think about the great days," Trueman said, when asked for his reaction.

His county, Lancashire, organised two benefit games for him in the sixties, but Statham continued to be in financial trouble. In the late 80s, his old partner, Trueman, learnt of his problems and organised two testimonial dinners to try and help him out.

"In 50 years we never had a wrong word and for me and everyone connected with the game at that time, this is terrible news," Trueman said.

External Links: Trueman's tribute to old pal Statham
Modest man from modest background was true great