Wolverhampton-born cricket legend Jack Bannister dies at 85
Wolverhampton-born cricket commentator and Warwickshire cricket star Jack Bannister has died aged 85.
The cricket world is in mourning after news of the death of the star broke this morning.
A seam bowler during his playing career, Bannister took a sensational 1,198 wickets in 368 county matches in a career spanning 19 years.
To this day he still holds the best innings figures for Warwickshire from a match he played in against the Combined Services team. He took all ten wickets for just 41 runs.
After hanging up his whites, he initially became a summariser for the BBC, before trying his hand as commentator in 1988.
So popular was Bannister, he remained behind the microphone with the corporation until 1999, and became one of the game's most respected journalists.
Following his cricket career, Bannister returned to his home city to work at a bookmaker, during which time he was instrumental in setting up the Professional Cricketer's Pension Scheme.
Later in life, he provided commentary and summaries on England internationals on talkSPORT sports radio station from the comfort of his home while he watched the game on television.
On one infamous occasion, during the 1995 South Africa v England test match series, he promised he would eat a newspaper if South Africa won. He eventually did when the hosts won the series.
A short statement on Talksport's Twitter account read:
Former England bowler Darren Gough, a colleague of Bannister's at Talksport, paid tribute, tweeting:
Former England international Jonathan Agnew, a presenter on the BBC, also paid his tributes to Bannister, writing on Twitter:
Mick Quinn, former Newcastle footballer, and currently a presenter at Talksport, tweeted:
Bannister was also involved in setting up the Professional Cricketers' Association after his playing career came to a close.
The PCA on Saturday said in a short Twitter statement:
