Former England and Northamptonshire batter Wayne Larkins passes away aged 71

Former England and Northamptonshire batter, Wayne Larkins, has passed away aged 71. As per the official website of Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, the former cricketer was suffering from a short illness. The news of the ex-batter .

Larkins represented the nation in 13 Tests and 25 ODIs, registering 493 and 591 runs, respectively. His second appearance for England was in the final of the 1979 World Cup (then called Prudential World Cup). One of the biggest defining moments of his career was his performance (46 and 29*) against West Indies in the first Test of the series at Sabina Park, guiding his nation to a surprise lead on the 1989-90 tour.

For the bulk of his professional career, Larkins played for Northamptonshire and notched up more than 700 games for them. He was prominently renowned for his classical stroke play on the field and lively presence off it. Post his stint at Northamptonshire, he relocated to Durham, where he ultimately retired. All in all, his combined First-Class and List A career saw 182 fifties and 85 centuries being scored. 

His wife, Debbie, shared a short note on his life and the impact he had on his surroundings, as quoted on Northamptonshire's website. 

"Ned loved everyone he met, and everyone loved him. People were drawn to his infectious energy. He lit up every room and never wanted the party to finish. He loved his soul mate of a wife and his precious daughters so much. He will be partying up in the sky, drinking a toast to everyone and to his own life. We are devastated, but we'll never forget his undeniably unique presence and his impact on our lives," she wrote in the note. 

Larkins surpassed the 1,000-run mark in every FC season between 1978 and 1985. The purple patch of his career was when he hit 236 and 252 in the span of seven weeks against Derbyshire and Glamorgan, respectively, in 1983.