NEW DELHI: Players from both England and India sported black armbands at the start of the second Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham, in tribute to former England cricketer Wayne Larkins, who passed away on June 28. England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to field. The hosts lead the five-match series 1-0, having clinched the opening Test with a five-wicket win at Headingley. Larkins, who also represented Northamptonshire and Durham in domestic cricket, played 13 Tests and 25 ODIs for England between 1979 and 1991. He made his second appearance in the 1979 World Cup final, where he batted at No. 7 and bowled two overs.
One of his most memorable moments came during England’s 1989-90 tour of the West Indies, when he struck the winning runs at Sabina Park to hand his side a surprise 1-0 series lead — in just his seventh Test, more than eight years after his sixth.
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His international career was curtailed after he received a three-year ban for participating in the unofficial 1982 rebel tour of South Africa.Larkins spent the bulk of his domestic career with Northamptonshire, playing over 700 matches. He later moved to Durham before retiring, having amassed over 40,000 runs and 85 centuries across formats. Known for his elegant strokeplay and charismatic personality, Larkins left an indelible mark on English cricket.His wife, Debbie, paid an emotional tribute 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,” she added.Between 1978 and 1985, Larkins enjoyed a prolific run, scoring over 1,000 first-class runs in each season. In 1983, he hit a rich vein of form, hammering 236 against Derbyshire and 252 against Glamorgan within seven weeks — feats that might have earned him an England recall, if not for the ban.
