Cowdrey born to cricket greatness

LONDON - Colin Cowdrey's batting was a perfect fusion of grace, timing and concealed power and he was one of England's top two batsmen for most of his 20-year Test career.

He was born, literally, to cricket greatness when his father gave him the initials MCC - Michael Colin - at birth in Bangalore, India, on Christmas Eve 1932.

He achieved almost every ambition that his father must have wished for him, playing in 114 Tests, scoring 7,624 runs for England and taking 120 catches - all record achievements at the time.

In 1975, after an absence of four years from the international arena, his technique and courage were freshly acknowledged when he was required in an injury crisis in Australia.

At the age of 42 - 20 years after his first Ashes visit - he earned the admiration of yet another generation of Australian spectators by withstanding the awesome Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson on his sixth trip to Australia.

His first tour was as an uncapped novice in 1954 and on his next four trips he was vice-captain every time - a record - to Peter May, Ted Dexter, Mike Smith and Ray Illingworth.

He was in genuine competition to lead England on two of those tours, but was never destined for that special honour - although he did captain England frequently during the 1960s and achieved the rare feat of victory in a series in the West Indies in 1968.

Despite his usual fluency while batting, he occasionally, however, allowed himself to be restricted by routine bowlers and a shade more ruthlessness might have improved his prolific record.

Yet the killer instinct would have reduced the charm of a Cowdrey innings, which exactly matched the mood of a summer day in Kent, his county for 25 seasons. He led Kent successfully between 1957-1971.

Cowdrey announced himself at an early age when as a 13-year-old he was the youngest cricketer to play at Lord's.

After leaving Oxford University he was an inspired choice for Len Hutton's team in Australia.

He vindicated the selection instantly with 54 in the second Test and 102 (out of 191) in the third.

In both classic contests he established, with May, the batting platform from which Frank Tyson's fast bowling won the series. This began his association with May - two supreme amateur batsmen.

Cowdrey opened for England against Australia in 1956 and again in 1960, but was fundamentally a number four.

He reunited with May in a stand of 411 against the West Indies at Edgbaston in a landmark innings that eliminated the previously deadly Sonny Ramadhin. Cowdrey, on that occasion, displayed his "professional" streak by repeatedly padding up to Ramadhin outside the line of the stumps, as the law then allowed without fear of being lbw.

That innings of 154 was necessary, but far more characteristic was almost any other of his 22 Test centuries, containing enchanting strokes on the off-side where he seemed able to manipulate the ball anywhere from square cover to long off.

Although built on solid lines, he was a nimble runner between wickets, as might be expected from a top class squash and racquets exponent. He could also tumble spectacularly in the slips.

In 1986 he succeeded to the presidency of MCC, but his year in office was troubled by international and internal bickering, with the MCC members rejecting the annual report.

Six years later he was given a knighthood for services to cricket and in 1997 he joined the House of Lords as Lord Cowdrey of Tonbridge, becoming the second former England captain to achieve the feat behind the Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Rev David Sheppard.

Cowdrey suffered a stroke in July this year and, despite showing signs of a recovery, died in his sleep in the early hours of this morning.

He had three sons by his first wife, Penny, two of whom played for Kent - Chris, who also played for England, and Graham. After a divorce he married Anne, a daughter of the Duke of Norfolk.

Career record: 42,719 runs: 107 centuries: 638 catches.

Tests: 7,624 runs: 22 centuries: 120 catches: 114 caps.