26th August, 2021
Agency Reporter
Former England captain Ted Dexter, “one of England’s greatest ever cricketers”, has died aged 86, the Marylebone Cricket Club announced on Thursday.
Dexter skippered England in 30 of his 62 Tests with the MCC commenting he had played “the game with the same sense of adventure and fun that captures much of the story of his remarkable life”.
The statement added Dexter passed away peacefully in a hospice in Wolverhampton, central England, on Wednesday while surrounded by his family.
“Ted was a cherished husband, father and grandfather and one of England’s greatest ever cricketers,” said the MCC statement.
An attacking batsman, Dexter scored 4,502 runs at an average of 47.89 for England, including nine hundreds, and took 66 wickets at 34.9.
The Sussex star was renowned for the power with which he hit the ball and one of his most eye-catching innings was against the West Indies at Lord’s in 1963 when he came in at 2-1 and smashed 70 off 75 deliveries.
After retiring, Dexter helped devise a ranking system for Test players and also became England’s chairman of selectors.
The ranking system was subsequently adopted by the International Cricket Council and formed the basis of today’s ratings.
Dexter, however, had a difficult time as selector while presiding over a weakened England team from 1989-1993.