The cricket world was in mourning today after Ashes legend Trevor Bailey, 87, died in a house fire.
The England hero passed away this morning after a fire raged through his retirement home in Westcliffe-on-Sea, Essex.
His disabled wife Greta was rescued from the ground floor flat.
England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Giles Clark declared Bailey had been “one of the finest all-rounders this country has ever produced” and praised his “enormous contribution to the game.”
BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew posted on Twitter: “Desperate news re. Trevor Bailey. Dogged batsman, aggressive bowler. Intelligent cricketer. Wonderfully concise pundit. Great sense of humour.”
Bailey played for Essex for the whole of his county cricket career and also played 61 tests for England.
He went on to spend 26 years as a member of the BBC Test Match Special Commentary team and also wrote 11 books about the sport.
Former Essex team-mate Doug Insole said: “Trevor was a great friend for well over 60 years.
“Trevor was a tower of strength – a great all-rounder with a cast iron temperament. He was one of a kind and a very sad loss to his many friends.”
Bailey scored 28,641 runs and took 2,082 wickets for Essex – making him 25th on all-time leading wicket players.
