New Delhi [India], August 26 (ANI): Former Lancashire and England fast bowler Ken Shuttleworth passed away at the age of 80, according to ESPNcricinfo on Tuesday.
Shuttleworth represented England in five Tests in 1970 and 1971, and made his debut in the series opener of that winter’s Ashes-winning tour of Australia. He claimed five wickets in the second innings at Brisbane. Under the captaincy of Richie Benaud, he toured Pakistan with the Commonwealth Team in 1967/8.
He also played for England against the Rest of the World at Lord’s in June 1970. In his solitary appearance in the ODI, he took England’s first wicket in the format, in the maiden fixture at the MCG in January 1971.
“I just took it as another game. We got stuck, 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 said of his Test debut as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
A towering, strongly built, right-arm quick, Shuttleworth stormed in with a long run armed with a side-on action and genuine pace. He was born in St Helens and joined Lancashire in 1964.
“I was bowling as quick as what you see the fast bowlers bowl now. Brian and Ken Higgs were still the two main bowlers, with Peter Lever and myself taking turns as the third seamer,” Shuttleworth told The St Helens Star in 2021, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
Shuttleworth removed Geoff Boycott for his maiden first-class wicket at Old Trafford, and went on to finish with 484 scalps at 22.92 for Lancashire. After his stint with Lancashire concluded, Shuttleworth scythed 99 wickets more for Leicestershire in the latter seasons of his career.
In 1968, he achieved his best figures against Essex. He brought thunder on the ground and blazed his way to figures of 7/41 at Leyton and went on to finish the season with a haul of 73 wickets, 65 of which came for his County side. Two years later, he bettered his best and scythed 74 wickets at an average of just over 21.
As the One-Day format gained prominence with the passage of time, Shuttleworth’s short and tenacious spells stood at the forefront of Lancashire’s success. His heroics included a hat-trick of Gillette Cup wins in 1970, ’71 and ’72 and two Sunday League titles in 1969 and 1970. His best figures of 5/13 included the wicket of Garry Sobers at Trent Bridge in 1972. (ANI)
