Name:

Bedser, Alec Victor

Date of Birth:

04 Jul 1918

Gender:

Men

Place of Birth:

Reading, Berkshire, England

Date Died:

04 Apr 2010

Career:

Test: 1946 - 1955

Teams:

Surrey (Regional)
England (Country)

Sir Alec Bedser celebrates his 90th birthday (2008)

Sir Alec Bedser: Was he England's finest swing bowler?

Born : 4 July 1918 at Reading, Berkshire, England

One of the great fast-medium bowlers, Alec Bedser combined relentless accuracy with in-swing and a lethal leg-cutter.

Sir Don Bradman, who he dismissed six times in Tests, considered him the most difficult bowler he faced. He began his Test career by taking 11 wickets in each of his first two Tests against India in 1946 and took 39 wickets at an average of 17.48 in England's Ashes winning series of 1953.

His lower-order batting was occasionally useful, notably when he made 79 as night-watchman against Australia at Leeds in 1948.

He played for a successful Surrey team for many years with his identical twin brother, Eric. After his playing days he performed a number of roles in the game, including being England manager and chairman of selectors and was knighted for his services to cricket in 1996.

Bedser was the oldest surviving England Test cricketer at the time of his death on 10 May 2010 in Woking, Surrey.

Source: CricketCrowd Staff Reporter