There have been many cricketers that have died young – including a number of all-time greats and others that probably would have joined this category if fate had dealt them a better hand.
Here are XII of those that left this mortal coil far too early due to a variety of tragic misfortunes including illness, war, accidents, murder, falling over on a dance floor and suicide.
1. Victor Trumper
The darling of the Golden Age was an absolute master on sticky wickets, scored the first Test hundred before lunch and was indisputably the greatest Australian batsman before Bradman. Despite ill-health he averaged over 60 in his last 68 innings, before finally succumbing to Bright’s Disease in June 1915 at just 37 years old.
2. Arthur Shrewsbury
Rivalled Grace as the premier English batsman of the 1880’s and captained England seven times in his 23 Tests. He topped the first-class batting averages seven times including in 1902, his final season. The following spring, under the false impression that he had an incurable disease, he shot himself at his sister's home. Shrewsbury was 47.
3. Archie Jackson
The New South Wales batsman emerged at the same time as Bradman and was considered by many at the time to be the better prospect. A masterful 164 on Test debut against England in 1929 suggested that the stylish Jackson would fulfil his immense promise. But his health waned soon after and following a long battle with tuberculosis, Jackson died at the age of 23 in 1933.
4. William ‘Dodge’ Whysall
A close friend of Harold Larwood, Whysall starred in Nottinghamshire’s County Championship triumph of 1929, before being recalled to the England side for the decisive match of the 1930 Ashes series. Just two months later, at the age of 43, Whysall was dead from septicaemia caused by a fall on a dance floor where he had injured his elbow.
5. A.E.J. Collins
Collins may not have attained the status of Trumper or Jackson but he did record cricket’s highest ever individual score, smashing 628 not out as a thirteen year old in a house match at Clifton College in June 1899. Like many of his generation, Collins did not survive World War I, dying at the age of 29 at the First Battle of Ypres on 11 November 1914.
6. Claude Tozer
An immensely talented schoolboy cricketer who would have played more first-class cricket but for the demands of medical school and World War I. Tozer survived the War, had just been named as New South Wales captain and was tipped for a place in the Australian Test side to face England. But then murder most foul as his deranged mistress and patient shot him dead at the age of 30 in December 1920.
7. Norman Callaway
Like Taylor, Callaway may not be a household name but he does hold a notable cricket record. He made his first-class debut at the age of 18 in February 1915 for New South Wales against Queensland and promptly became the first man to score a double-century on his first-class debut. Cricket was then abandoned in Australia due to World War I, and by dint of Callaway being killed at the Second Battle of Bullecourt in France in 1917; he has the highest first class average on record of 207.
8. Montague Druitt
Druitt was found drowned in the River Thames at the age of 31 in 1888. A keen all-rounder, he represented Winchester College, and the Morden Cricket Club of Blackheath amongst others. But Druitt may have led a sinister double-life with many Jack the Ripper experts concluding that Druitt was the man responsible for the infamous Whitechapel murders.
9. Hedley Verity
Arguably England’s greatest ever spinner, Verity took 1,956 first-class wickets at a staggering average of 14.90 and provided the control at one end during the Bodyline series as Larwood and Voce wreaked havoc at the other. He was mortally wounded during the Eighth Army's advance on Catania in World War II and died a few days later on 31 July 1943 reportedly acknowledging that "I think I have played my last innings for Yorkshire." He was just 38.
10. Ken Farnes
A fearsome fast bowler, Farnes took 10 wickets on Test debut at Trent Bridge in 1934 and snared 60 victims in his 15 Tests. He was killed, at the age of 30, in a plane crash in October 1941 while flying with the R.A.F. over Northamptonshire.
11. Albert Cotter
One of the great early fast bowlers, Cotter played 21 Tests and took 89 wickets and once hit an aging W.G Grace with a beamer incurring the wrath of the great man and causing him to walk off the field in disgust. Cotter was another who fell in the Great War - to Turkish fire in October 1917 at the age of 32. He had a premonition of his impending doom too tossing up a cricket ball of mud and announcing "That's my last bowl, blue. Something's going to happen."
12. Ben Hollioake
Who can forget the younger Hollioake’s opening statement as an international cricketer when he hit 63 at Lord’s in an ODI against an Australian side containing Warne, McGrath and Gillespie? He never quite repeated those feats in 2 Tests and 20 ODIs, but who knows what he could have achieved if he hadn’t tragically died in a car crash at the age of just 24 in 2002.
Where next?
Victor Trumper: All-time Australian Ashes XI - The Openers
The 30 Greatest Batsmen Ever featuring Victor Trumper: Part 1 (30-21), Part 2 (20-11), Part 3 (10-1)
Hedley Verity: All-time Ashes XI and All-time England Ashes XI - Spinner
Archie Jackson - The 'Other Bradman'
Full coverage of the Ashes 2010/11 series
Check out all our Reverse Sweep heroes and zeroes
If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep
I assume your cut-off point is age 40, otherwise Malcolm Marshall would have been a dead cert (sorry!). Love the blog by the way.
Posted by: Matthew | Friday, February 04, 2011 at 15:15
Thanks Matthew, glad you like the blog - Marshall is one of my heroes - see http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2010/08/heroes-malcolm-marshall.html#tp, and if I had based selection on ability clearly he would have been in. I tended to try and pick players who hadnt already retired.
Posted by: The Reverse Sweep | Friday, February 04, 2011 at 15:20
Great article, I have to confess to having not heard of some of the names on the list.
I'd say that quite a few of them are very interesting stories in there own rights, particularly the Druitt story.
Posted by: Dean @ Cricket Betting Blog | Sunday, February 06, 2011 at 00:40
Thanks Dean. The Druitt one is a classic. Just imagine if a humble, gentile cricket player really did have an alter ego as one of the most infamous murderers of all time
Posted by: The Reverse Sweep | Thursday, February 10, 2011 at 15:51
Sir Frank Worrell would certainly captain this team. Collie Smith would also make a good selection
Posted by: Dizzy | Friday, March 18, 2011 at 19:12
Sir Frank would be a great choice as skipper and I certainly toyed with the idea of putting him in the side. However, in the end I decided to restrict my choice to those that had their careers cut short by their untimely deaths. If an early exit was the only deciding factor, then Worrell and Malcolm Marshall (the best fast bowler Ive ever seen) would have been automatic selections
Posted by: The Reverse Sweep | Monday, March 21, 2011 at 07:57
Those are all great cricketers.
Posted by: Navya Star Plus | Monday, August 08, 2011 at 06:24
%anchor% are so nice and easy to get on and there just the cutest!!
Posted by: cam girl | Sunday, September 22, 2013 at 20:53