Former England skipper Close dies at 84

Erstwhile all-rounder also captained Yorkshire to four championship titles

LONDON: Former Yorkshire and England captain Brian Close has died at the age of 84.

Close became the youngest player ever to win a Test cap for England when he made his debut against New Zealand in 1949 as an 18-year-old.

He went on to lead his country seven times in 22 Tests, between 1949 and 1976 and also captained his native county to win four county championship titles.

Close scored almost 35,000 runs as a batsman, including 52 centuries with a highest innings score of 198. He also took 1,168 dismissals as a bowler and over 800 catches as a fielder.

Close returned home to Baildon near Bradford more than 20 years later to lead Yorkshire’s Academy team — and also serve as chairman of the cricket committee.

His death, after a short illness, came just four days after Yorkshire sealed their second successive county championship title — and 32nd outright in all. 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 15^th,  2015.

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