England cricket great John Edrich dies aged 83 

‘A wonderful man who I was lucky enough to spend some quality time with’: Ian Botham confirms England cricket great John Edrich has died aged 83

  • John Edrich, 83, passed away in the lead up to Christmas, it has been confirmed
  • The former batsman had ensured a long-term battle with a rare form of leukemia
  • He was given an MBE in 1977 for services to cricket and played 77 Test matches 
  • Fellow great Ian Botham said: ‘A wonderful man who I was lucky enough to spend some quality time with’

Former England cricket great John Edrich has passed away aged 83, it has been confirmed

England cricket great John Edrich has passed away aged 83, Ian Botham has confirmed. 

Edrich, awarded an MBE in 1977 for services to cricket, was considered one of the best batsmen of his generation and played 77 Test matches for England. 

Botham, a cricket legend in his own right, tweeted: ‘Very sad news today to wake up on Christmas Day and to be told that John Edrich has passed away !! A wonderful man who I was lucky enough to spend some quality time with…RIP’

He had been battling a rare form of leukemia since 2000 and passed away in the days leading up to Christmas.

Edrich made his debut for the England Test squad in 1963 and played a total of 77 matches in which he amassed 5,183 runs at an average of 43.54, having also played for Surrey at county level during his career. 



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