FORMER England cricketer Ken Shuttleworth has died aged 80.
Shuttleworth, who featured in five Test matches for England between 1970 and 1971, passed away this month.
AlamyKen Shuttleworth has passed away aged 80[/caption]
AlamyShuttleworth (third from left) with his Lancashire teammates[/caption]
AlamyHe won the Ashes with England[/caption]
His exact date and cause of death currently remains unknown.
Shuttleworth is survived by his wife Barbara and daughters Sara and Hannah.
The towering fast bowler made his debut during the opening Test of the Ashes-winning tour of Australia in Brisbane.
Shuttleworth claimed five second-innings wickets in a stellar performance.
The towering right-arm quick, who blasted through batting line-ups with genuine pace, helped England clinch their first Ashes triumph in Australia since 1932-33.
During the 1970-71 Ashes series under Ray Illingworth, he played in the first two drawn Tests.
Shuttleworth made history in January 1971 by claiming England’s first-ever wicket in one-day internationals during the inaugural ODI at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Recalling his Test debut during the 1970–71 Ashes tour in Australia, Shuttleworth reflected on the pressures of the occasion and the historic nature of England’s triumph.
Speaking at the time, he said: “I just took it as another game..
“We got stick, which you expect when you’re out there, but we were the first team since Douglas Jardine’s in 1932 to win the Ashes in Australia.”
Shuttleworth’s international career was cut short after being plagued by injuries but he was widely regarded as capable of achieving more.
He toured Pakistan with the Commonwealth XI in 1967–68 under Richie Benaud’s captaincy.
Shuttleworth also represented England against the Rest of the World at Lord’s in 1970.
Born in St Helens, Shuttleworth joined Lancashire in 1964 and became a key part of their attack, backing up legendary seamer Brian Statham with lethal accuracy and sharp spells.
“I bowled as fast as any quick you see now,” Shuttleworth told The St Helens Star in 2021.
“Brian and Ken Higgs led the attack, with Peter Lever and me sharing duties as the third seamer.”
Shuttleworth racked up 484 wickets at 22.92 for Lancashire and another 99 for Leicestershire late in his career.
His standout performance was 7 for 41 against Essex in 1968, and he hit a peak of 74 wickets in 1970.
He also played a vital role in Lancashire’s limited-overs dominance, helping them secure three Gillette Cups in a row (1970-72) and two Sunday League titles, famously taking 5 for 13 against Garry Sobers’ Nottinghamshire in 1972.
After finishing his playing days in league cricket and a stint in business, Shuttleworth returned to the game as a respected first-class umpire. He was honoured with a place in Lancashire’s Hall of Fame in 2021.
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