18 hours ago
Wayne ‘Ned' Larkins obituary: maverick batsman for England and Northamptonshire
In an age when opening batsmen were expected to wear down the new ball attack and refrain from attempting any expansive shots until the shine had been seen off, the opposition feared the maverick strokemaker. They fretted in particular that, in the phrase coined by Jonathan Agnew, the fast bowler turned BBC cricket correspondent, they would be 'nedded' by the gifted Wayne Larkins in county or Test cricket.
'Ned', as he was known, was an opener who would hit the first ball of a match not merely through the cover fielders but over their heads for six. 'He did this to me and smiled back,' Agnew said. Had Larkins played under the current England management, who favour quick scoring, he would have made more than his 13 Test appearances and been in demand from franchise leagues all over the world.
