Eddie Barlow passes away

Legendary South African allrounder, Eddie Barlow has passed away at the age of 65. Barlow’s death comes at the foot of a long struggle with an illness that saw him paralyzed in 2000.

As with many of his contemporaries, Barlow was the victim of apartheid, and never had the chance to shine at the highest level quite as much and as long as he might have. He did not fail to make his mark though, scoring 5 of his 6 Test hundreds and his highest Test notch of 201 against Australia.

Eddie Barlow played 30 Tests for his country, scoring 2516 runs at a healthy average of 45.74, whilst taking 40 wickets at 34.04 apiece. Over the course of 21-year career at First-Class level and above, he accumulated more than 18,000 runs and 571 wickets. He represented Transvaal (Gauteng), West Province and Derbyshire, before ending his career with Boland in the 1982-83 season.

Further to his retirement from First-Class cricket, Barlow became a highly respected coach, and was appointed to the helm of Bangladesh in 1999. His stint was cut short, however, as a stroke led to paralysis the following year.