Allan Border reveals he has Parkinson’s as Australian cricket legend opens up on his battle

Allan Border has revealed that he has Parkinson’s disease, with the cricket legend going public for the first time since his diagnosis seven years ago.

Border, 68, was delivered the bombshell news by a neurosurgeon in 2016, and decided to tell only his wife, Jane, their four kids and close family.

The only other person he told was former teammate Dean Jones, who died of a heart attack in India in 2020. 

‘Jonesy couldn’t help himself,’ Border told The Australian. ‘And he told Boonie (Test opener David Boon). Then I’m having a feed at Boonie’s place and he says, ‘C’mon AB, what the f*** is going on?’ 

‘I’m a pretty private person and I didn’t want people to feel sorry for me sort of thing. Whether people care you don’t know. But I know there’ll come a day when people will notice.’ 

Despite the devastating diagnosis, Border has a positive outlook on life. 

‘I get the feeling I’m a hell of a lot better off than most,’ he said. 

‘At the moment I’m not scared, not about the immediate future anyway. I’m 68. If I make 80 that’ll be a miracle. I’ve got a doctor friend and I said if I make 80 that’ll be a miracle, and he said, ‘That will be a miracle.’

‘No way am I going to get another 100, that’s for sure. I’ll just slip slowly into the west.’

Border is regarded as one of the greatest cricketers in the history of the sport. 

He has left a lasting legacy on cricket and the award for Australia’s best male cricketer of the year is named after him – the Allan Border Medal. The India-Australia test series has also been named the Border Gavaskar Trophy.

The 67-year-old was also the judge on Fox8 reality TV series Cricket Superstar, which ran for one season in 2012. The competition was won by Ian Holland, who went on to play six T20s for Australia. 

Border has previously served as a selector for the national team and works as a commentator on Fox Sports. 

More to follow.