December 4, 2019, brought a piece of very sad news to the world of cricket as a legendary fast bowler and former England captain Bob Willis passed away at the age of 70 at his home after a short battle with prostate cancer.
Willis played 90 Tests and picked 325 wickets, with his best performance of 8/43 coming against Australia in the famous 1981 Headingly Test match, better known as ‘Botham’s Test’. He is at number 4 in England’s all-time wicket taker’s list behind James Anderson, Stuart Broad, and Ian Botham.
Willis also captained the England team from 1981-1984 in 18 Tests and 29 one-day internationals. "We are heartbroken to lose our beloved Bob, who was an incredible husband, father, brother, and grandfather. He made a huge impact on everybody he knew and we will miss him terribly,” read the Willis family statement.
Willis represented Surrey for the first two years of his professional career before spending 12 years at Warwickshire, finishing with 899 wickets from 308 first-class matches at an average of 24.99. After retirement from the game, he became a respected expert on Sky Sports and was known for his dry humor while sharing his expertise on air.
All of the international cricket community mourned the loss of a true champion and paid tributes on Twitter.
