Former England batter Wayne Larkins dies aged 71

LONDON (Agencies): Wayne Larkins, the former England and Northamptonshire batter, has died after a short illness aged 71. Larkins, popularly known as “Ned”, played 13 Tests and 25 ODIs between 1979 and 1991. His second England appearance was in the 1979 World Cup final – he batted at No. 7 and bowled two overs – but his finest hour came when hitting the winning runs at Sabina Park as England took an unexpected 1-0 lead on the 1989-90 tour of the West Indies. That was Larkins’ seventh Test, coming more than eight years after his sixth. He might have played more in between had he not been banned for three years for involvement on the 1982 rebel tour of South Africa. Renowned for his colourful off-field character as well as his strokeplay, Larkins spent most of his career with Northamptonshire, making more than 700 appearances for the club. He later moved to Durham, before winding down a career that saw him score 40,000 runs and amass 85 hundreds. His wife, Debbie, was quoted on the Northamptonshire website: “Ned loved everyone he met and everyone loved him. People were drawn to his infectious energy. He lit up every room and never wanted the party to finish. “He loved his soul mate of a wife and his precious daughters so much. He will be partying up in the sky, drinking a toast to everyone and to his own life. We are devastated but we’ll never forget his undeniably unique presence and his impact on our lives. “We will carry him in our hearts forever.”