Former England captain Bob Willis passes away aged 70 after prolonged battle against illness

Former England cricket captain Bob Willis on Wednesday tragically passed away after a prolonged battle against illness, his family confirmed in a statement. He was 70 years old. Willis, a right-arm fast bowler, went on to play 90 Tests and 64 ODIs, where he picked 325 and 80 wickets respectively. He also scalped a 16 five-wicket haul in Tests, and he took four four-wicket hauls in ODIs. He is famously remembered for his figures of 8-43 in the second innings of an Ashes Test against Australia in 1981, which England won by 18 runs. [caption id=“attachment_7740131” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Bob Willis. AP[/caption] “We are heartbroken to lose our beloved Bob, who was an incredible husband, father, brother and grandfather,” Willis’ family said in the statement. “He made a huge impact on everybody he knew and we will miss him terribly,” the statement added. According to a report in Sky Sports, Willis was surrounded by his family members when he passed away. He is survived by his wife Lauren, daughter Katie, brother David and sister Ann.