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Ken Cranston, the brisk medium-fast bowler and lower middle-order batsman who captained England once in 1947-48, has died at the age of 89. He became England’s oldest living Test cricketer on the death of Mandy Mitchell-Innes on December 28. That mantle now passes to Surrey’s Arthur McIntyre.

He made the first of his eight Test appearances, against South Africa, barely two months after his first-class debut in 1947. In his second Test at Headingley he gabbed four wickets in as many balls and won a place on that winter’s tour of the Caribbean.

England, under the veteran Gubby Allen, were a virtual B side, and Cranston was pressed into leading them in the opening Test when Allen was injured. He struggled for any form on a gruelling trip and lost his place when the side returned home.

He continued his excellent form for Lancashire in 1948, and was recalled for the Headingley Test against Don Bradman’s Invincibles but failed to impress and was immediately dropped. He retired at the end of the summer to resume full-time work at his dental practice in Liverpool.

In all he made 3099 runs at 34.92 and took 179 wickets at 27.84. In Tests he took 18 wickets at 25.61 and made 209 runs at 14.92.

Source:The News