Former England captain battles cancer

David Sheppard, the former England captain who went on to become the Bishop of Liverpool, has revealed that he has been battling cancer for more than two years.

He broke the news during a debate in the House of Lords, praising the care he had received from the National Health Service. "I feel really well," he said. "My recent CT scan showed that the cancer had been held back, and the oncologist doesn't want to see me for three months."

Sheppard, 74, was one of England's most successful batsmen of the 1950s and early 1960s, making 1172 runs at an average of 37.80 in his 22 Test appearances. But his availability was hampered by his ecclesiastical commitments after he was ordained into the church in 1955.