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Former England and Surrey hitter John Edrich has died at 83. Edrich played 77 tests between 1962 and 1977 and participated in the world’s first one-day international match in 1971 against Australia, reaching the first limit.
Edrich achieved a test average of 43.54 and went on to serve as England’s hitting coach and coach. It is famous that he scored 310 no’s against New Zealand in the third Test at Headingley in July 1965.
In August 2000 it was announced that Edrich suffered from incurable leukemia. “I hadn’t seen a doctor for about 10 years,” Edrich said. But I had been feeling tired for a while. After taking blood tests, they discovered leukemia. It was quite a shock. You can’t fight it. You have to have faith in your consultant and in the treatment. “
Edrich, who scored 33 no-out while hitting with two broken ribs in the fourth Ash Test of the 1974-75 series in Australia after being hit by Dennis Lillee, made 5,138 runs in testing.
He scored 103 centuries in a career that saw him captain Surrey for five seasons in the 1970s before retiring from the game in 1978. He received an MBE in 1977.
The tributes were paid quickly. Ian Botham tweeted: “Very sad news today to wake up on Christmas Day and be told that John Edrich has passed away! A wonderful man with whom I was lucky to have a good time … RIP “
Another former England international, Mark Butcher, himself a former Surrey player, described Edrich on Twitter as a Surrey legend. Edrich had a year as county president in 2006 and the club said the flag above the pavilion would fly at half mast on Christmas Day.
Executive Director of the Cricket Board of England and Wales, Tom Harrison. He said: “With the passing of John, we have lost a prolific and intrepid hitter, one of the select few who have scored more than 5,000 runs for England.
“His duels with some of the best fast bowlers in the world were legendary, and it is a testament to his skill that his 310 was not against New Zealand in 1965 and is still the fifth highest test score by an English batsman. We will sadly miss him and our thoughts are with his family and friends. “
Geoff Boycott selected Edrich, with whom he started batting for England, in his best England-Australia XI in the series he had played in.
He wrote in the Telegraph in 2010: “John had one of the greatest temperaments I have ever seen in my life: he could play and fail and it wouldn’t bother him one iota. As with Herbert Sutcliffe, it was impossible to make him nervous. “
Edrich’s bravery as a hitter was underlined against the West Indies at Old Trafford in 1976 when he led off batting with Brian Close and was bruised by bowling by Andy Roberts, Wayne Daniel and Michael Holding.
Wisden wrote: “The period before the close of the third day brought an unsettling cricket, as Edrich and Close severely defended their grounds and themselves against fast bowling, which was often too wild and hostile to be acceptable.”
Edrich, then 39, was out for 24 and never played a Test for England again.
Surrey President Richard Thompson said: “John Edrich was truly one of the best players ever to play for our club and his passing is an incredibly sad moment for all of us. From watching his brave and charismatic hitting to sitting next to him in our Committee Room and learning about the game, being able to call John a friend was such an honor. “
