Bob Willis passes away

[Zinzan]

RIP to the great man. What a character!

 

[lordscc]

Sad news

 

[Zinzan]

The only test quality, genuinely quick bowler England had for years tbh

Exactly what Beefy said on it.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Nice tribute from Vic Marks in The Guardian.

This bit especially tickled me:

As a player – and especially as a captain – Willis often had a spiky relationship with the media. On his first tour as England captain he instructed his team not to waste any time communing with the press with such vigour that Graeme Fowler declined to say “good morning” to them in the hotel lift on the way to breakfast the following morning. Another meeting had to be held to ensure a semblance of civility between press and players.


When Willis was assistant manager to the England team in West Indies on the 1985-86 tour he was once asked by a BA steward if there was anything he wanted to be taken back to England. “Thirty-four journalists and two camera crews” was his response. While still captain he declared: “I don’t know what I’m going to do when I give up but I can tell you this: I’m not going to go on TV slagging off the players.” Which is what he did rather brilliantly on Sky TV’s The Verdict towards the end of a long broadcasting career.

Very much the poacher turned gamekeeper then.

 

[Stefan9]

RIP Bob

 

[SeamUp]

RIP Bob.

A bit of an odd-ball but I think that is part of why he was liked by so many people. Good bloke who was passionate about English cricket and cricket in general.

 

[Kirkut]

Bowled with a Shoaib Akhtar like run up from what I've watched.

 

[CharlesLara]

Didn't think I'd be as gutted as I am. One of my earliest and most vivid memories is the Lara 375 VHS and forever echoed in my mind is "THERE IT IS! The new world record holder is Brian Charles Lara of Trinidad & Tobago"

RIP to the great man.