Former England opener Raman Subba Row dies aged 92

London:  Former England opener and ICC match referee Raman Subba Row has died at the age of 92.

Subba Row, who averaged 46.85 and scored three hundreds in his 13 Test matches for England between 1958 and 1961, quit the game at the age of 29 following his final international match. After that he became the chairman of Surrey and helped form the Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB), which was the precursor of the ECB, he stayed involved in cricket and moved on to start a public relations company.

“We are extremely saddened to hear of Raman’s passing,” Richard Thompson, ECB chair, said. “He was a great cricket man and his remarkable cricket career saw success both on and off the field – as a player, official, administrator and Chair of both Surrey and the Test and County Cricket Board. Our sport owes him an enormous debt of gratitude, and on behalf of the ECB, we would like to send our sincere condolences to Raman’s friends and family at this sad time.”

Prior to his death, he was England’s oldest living men’s Test cricketer.

Streatham-born Subba Row made his Surrey debut in 1953, playing for the Stuart Surridge-led team that won seven consecutive County Championships. In 1955, he moved to Northamptonshire and returned the following year, becoming captain in 1958. That summer, he made his England debut against New Zealand. His finger injury kept him out of the 1958–1959 Ashes, but by 1961, he had established himself in the side for Australia’s tour. He made hundreds in the first and fifth Tests, helping England to a 2-2 draw.

Subba Row played in 260 matches over the course of ten years in the first class, amassing over 14,000 runs and claiming 87 wickets with his legspin.

In 1991 he was awarded a CBE for services to cricket. Between 1992 and 2001 he was a match referee for the ICC, overseeing 41 Tests and 119 ODIs.

Wasim Khan, the ICC’s general manager of cricket, said: “It is sad to hear of the passing of Raman and I would like to extend deepest condolences on behalf of everyone at the ICC.

“Raman was a respected cricketer of his era, who went on to become the chair of the Test and County Cricket Board. He was also one of the earliest ICC match referees, officiating very ably in different parts of the world.”

–IANS