Former West Indies batsman Basil Butcher died on Monday after a prolonged illness. He was 86. The stylish Guyanese batsman played 44 Tests between 1958 and 1969, scoring 3,104 runs at an average of 43.11, and was named one of Wisden’s Cricketers of the Year in 1970.
“With a heavy heart I announce our Dad, Husband, Brother, Grandfather, Great-Grandfather and former Guyana and West Indies batting star Basil Butcher Sr passed earlier this evening in Florida after a long illness,” his son Basil Butcher Jr announced on social media.
Butcher, who died in Florida, made seven centuries but is best remembered for his second-innings knock of 133 in the 1963 Lord’s Test against England. During the break of that innings, Butcher came to know about his wife having a miscarriage, but he read the telegram and continued to bat.
In the next tour of England in 1965, Butcher notched up his highest Test score – 209 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.
