Former England captain Ray Illingworth dies, aged 89

Illingworth, who led his country to Ashes glory in Australia in 1970/71, represented England 61 times in Test cricket and also enjoyed great success at domestic level with Yorkshire and Leicestershire

Former England captain Ray Illingworth has died at the age of 89.

The Yorkshireman, who led his country to Ashes glory in Australia in 1970/71, represented England on 61 occasions in Test cricket.

At domestic level, he earned considerable success with both Yorkshire – for whom he was part of a hugely dominant side – and Leicestershire, who he helped to their first County Championship title in 1975.

Born in Pudsey, West Yorkshire, Illingworth made his first-class debut in 1951, aged 19, and only announced his retirement in 1983, by which time he was 51.

He was a key member of the Yorkshire team that won seven County Championship titles in nine years between 1959 and 1968.

We are deeply saddened to learn that Ray Illingworth has passed away.

Our thoughts are with Ray’s family and the wider Yorkshire family who held Ray so dear to their hearts #OneRose pic.twitter.com/nvQa2f7RMz

— Yorkshire CCC (@YorkshireCCC) December 25, 2021

"We are deeply saddened to learn that Ray Illingworth has passed away," read a statement from the county.

"Illingworth was capped by Yorkshire in 1955 and went on to become the club's most successful modern day captain.

"Our thoughts are with Ray's family and the wider Yorkshire family who held Ray so dear to their hearts."

For England, he scored 1,836 runs and took 122 wickets, captaining 31 times. Overall, he played 787 first-class matches, making 24,134 runs and claiming 2,072 wickets.

"It's always incredibly sad to lose a person who has given so much to the English game, and to the sport of cricket in general," said ECB chief executive Tom Harrison.

"Ray was a superb cricketer, and his deep love, passion and knowledge for the game meant he continued to contribute long after his playing days had finished. We send our sympathy and warmest wishes to Ray's friends and family at this difficult time."

^{Illingworth became England's chairman of selectors and head coach after his retirement (Adrian Murrell/Getty Images)}

On Twitter, Leicestershire added that the club was "deeply, deeply saddened" to hear of his passing.

Following his retirement, he remained at the top of the sport, becoming England's chairman of selectors in 1994 and spending two years as head coach of the national side between 1995 and 1996, during which time he and captain Michael Atherton enjoyed a relationship that was at times uneasy, with the pair often clashing over selection decisions.

Ahead of the third Ashes Test at the MCG, England confirmed that Joe Root's team would wear black armbands in a show of respect to Illingworth.