LONDON, (Reuters) – Former England all-rounder Trevor Bailey has died in a fire at his home at the age of 87, Essex county cricket club said today.
A fast-medium bowler, Bailey was also a solid batsman and earned the nickname “The Barnacle” because he was so difficult to dislodge.
Bailey played 61 tests for England between 1949 and 1959, scoring 2,290 runs and taking 132 wickets, and was part of the 1953 team that regained the Ashes from Australia after a 19-year gap.
He became known to younger cricket fans as an expert commentator on the “Test Match Special” radio programme.
Bailey died this morning in a blaze in his flat in a retirement complex at Westcliff-on-Sea on the coast in Essex in eastern England. He played for Essex for 21 years from 1946.
Essex CCC President Doug Insole paid tribute to his friend.
“We played football and cricket for Cambridge University and were colleagues in the Essex side for about 15 years,” he said.
“In the England team in the 1950s 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.”
