Name:

Blythe, Colin

Nickname:

Charlie

Date of Birth:

30 May 1879

Gender:

Men

Place of Birth:

Deptford, Kent, England

Date Died:

08 Jan 1917

Career:

Test: 1901 - 1910

Teams:

England (Country)

1905: Archie Mclaren shines in draw (Lords)

Dynamite left arm spinner was killed in action

Colin Blythe was born on May 30, 1879 in Deptford, Kent. He died aged 38 on the battlefield during World War 1 on November 8, 1917, at the Forest Hall to Pimmern military railway line near Passchendaele, Belgium.

He was a slow left arm spinner who had a classical action.

Blythe made his Test debut against Australia in Sydney in 1901 aged 22 and played his last Test at just 32. He took an astonishing 100 Test wickets in just 19 matches at an economy rate of 18.63.

Despite his fragile build and regular bouts of epilepsy, he still managed to craft one of the greatest cricket careers. His total of 2,503 first-class wickets ranks 13th, with only Wilfred Rhodes of those above him having a better average.

Perhaps Blythe's greatest achievement was his 15 South African wickets at Leeds in 1907 to bring England victory in a Test in which they had been bowled out for 76 in the first innings of the match. But it was Northamptonshire in June, 1907 that Blythe achieved a truly record-breaking feat. His match bag of 17-48 remains a County Championship record.

Source: CricketCrowd Staff Reporter