Peter Lever, Lancashire and England bowler, dies aged 84

Peter Lever, the former Lancashire and England fast bowler, has died after a short illness. He was 84.

Lever took almost 1000 wickets for Lancashire during his playing days in the 1960s and '70s. He was capped 17 times in Tests by England, as well as featuring in 10 one-day internationals.

He went on to work as England bowling coach under Ray Illingworth, and was inducted into the Lancashire hall of fame last year.

Lever's chances with England were initially limited by strong seam-bowling competition, and he had to wait until the age of 30 for his official debut. He had played for England against the Rest of the World during the summer of 1970, taking 7 for 83 including the wickets of Graeme Pollock, Garry Sobers and Clive Lloyd - but the matches subsequently lost their Test status.

He played five Tests during the 1970-71 Ashes, taking 13 wickets, as England won 2-0 to reclaim the urn; he was also picked for the first-ever ODI, staged due to the abandonment of the third Test, in Melbourne.

Although his involvement thereafter was sporadic, Lever toured Australia and New Zealand again in 1974-75. It was during the Auckland Test that Lever bowled the ball that struck Ewen Chatfield on the side of the head, leaving the New Zealand No. 11 needing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the pitch.

Lever was part of the England side that reached the semi-finals of the first men's World Cup later that year, but he only made one further Test appearance before retiring in 1976.