5 Famous cricketers who endured extreme poverty after retirement

#3 Brian Statham

Brian Statham

Brian Statham, an English fast bowler, was one of the greatest bowlers during the 1950s. Besides being genuinely quick, Statham was also an athletic outfielder.

Statham made his test debut on 17th March 1951 against New Zealand and went on to represent England in 70 tests. He was the first bowler in the world to take 250 wickets, a landmark which was later reached by his new ball partner Fred Trueman.

As a result of his contributions towards cricket, on 30th August 2009, Brian Statham was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

In his last days, Statham could not make enough money and it was Fred Trueman who organized two testimonial dinners to raise money for his old teammate in the late 1980s. Statham, eventually died of leukaemia, a week before his 70th birthday.