Aussie cricket legend Bob Cowper dead at age 84
Aussie cricket legend Bob Cowper has died at the age of 84.
The Ashes hero is reported to have died in Melbourne on Saturday morning after a long battle with cancer.
The mercurial batsman has a special place in the history of Australian cricket both for his records and his famous decision to retire from the sport when he had the world at his feet at the age of 28.
Nine reports he is survived by wife Dale and daughters Olivia and Sera.
Cowper was a force to be reckoned with on home soil and his batting average of 75.78 runs in Australia remains the second-highest of all time, behind only Sir Donald Bradman.
He was also the first cricketer to score a triple-century in Australia during the 1965-66 Ashes series.
That famous innings ultimately saw Australia retain the Ashes.
He played his 27th and final Test in Leeds in 1968 during an Ashes Tour, finishing with 2061 runs at Test level.
Cowper grew up in Melbourne's eastern suburbs and attended Scotch College before joining the Hawthorn-East Melbourne Cricket Club. He played his first Test — against England at Leeds in 1964 — at the age of 23.
His final game of first-class cricket came during a Shield match in 1970.
In retirement, Cowper continued to represent Australia on the International Cricket Council (ICC).
He was a successful businessman after his cricket career wrapped up and had been described as a 'squillionaire businessman' in some Australian newspapers.
He made the decision to give up his international career in order to concentrate on being a sharebroker.
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