Former England and Sussex captain Ted Dexter passed away peacefully at his home in Wolverhampton on Wednesday, 25 August.
Dexter is hailed as one of the greatest English cricketers. In an international career spanning across a decade, Dexter led England in 32 out of his 60 Tests. Tall, lanky, and aggressive, he amassed 4,502 runs before a car accident shortened his career. He also claimed 66 wickets with his medium pace.
While not an official baron, Dexter earned the moniker Lord for his majestic batting style.
Wisden named Dexter among their five Cricketers of the Year in 1961. It was Dexter’s 181 that helped England avoid an innings defeat at Edgbaston in the opening match of the Ashes that summer. Dexter forged crucial partnerships with Raman Subba Row and Ken Barrington.
That winter, he led England in India, Pakistan and
Lanka after Colin Cowdrey refused pulled out. MCC won against Pakistan but lost against India.
Dexter was born in Milan, and is the only Test cricketer born in Italy. His parents moved to the UK for business. He played for Cambridge University for three years before moving to Sussex.
Dexter led Sussex to back-to-back titles in the Gillette Cup Championship – the first limited-overs inter-county cricket tournament in England. While other teams struggled with the change in format, Dexter realised the need for accelerating, accurate bowling straight, and defensive field placements.
‘Lord Ted’ later tried his luck in politics as well, joining the Conservatives. He lost to James Callaghan, who eventually became the Prime Minister.
Dexter co-authored a thriller called Testkill. He was good enough to be invited to the USA as a tournament golfer. He was so obsessed with horseracing that he carried a portable television set to the dressing room in the 1970s. He was among the first cricketers of his generation to run a personal website.
And he and Cowdrey were responsible for adding the Spirit of Cricket in the preamble to the Laws of Cricket.