Wayne LARKINS

Larkins, the hard-hitting Northamptonshire opening batsman, might have played more Test cricket if he had not joined the rebel England tour of South Africa in 1981-82 at a time when he was very much in the selectors thoughts. So impressed had they been by his attacking play he had been put straight into the 1979 World Cup squad with no experience. Indeed, most people will remember Wayne Larkins for the battering his medium pace bowling was subjected to by Collis King in the World Cup Final.

His two overs went for 21 runs, but he should never have bowled, Mike Brearley turned to him in desperation when King and Viv Richards had already demolished the more experienced 'fill-in' bowling of Boycott and Gooch. Larkins actually made his England debut in the World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, scoring 7. He was out for a duck in the final. He toured Australia in 1979-80, scoring a promising 25 at Melbourne.

In South Africa he made 95 in the third unofficial Test in Cape Town, but the subsequent ban put him out of Test cricket until Graham Gooch wanted his help in West Indies in 1989-90. He made 46 and 29 not out in Kingston, scoring the winning runs and 54 in Port of Spain, but could not compensate for the loss of Gooch through injury in the last Tests. In Australia in 1990-91 he had his best-ever Test match with 64 and 54 in the Melbourne game. (Bob Harragan)

Wayne Larkins died on 28th June at University Hosptal Coventry 2025, aged 71

after a short illness, whilst awaiting a heart bypass.