Former England international cricketer Ted Dexter has died aged 86.

He died in the Compton Hospice in Wolverhampton at midday on Wednesday, surrounded by his family, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) said.

Known by the nickname Lord Ted for his aloof self-confidence, the ferocious strokemaker captained the Sussex and England cricket teams in the 1960s.

“Ted was a cherished husband, father and grandfather and one of England’s greatest ever cricketers,” the MCC said.

“He was captain in 30 of his 62 Test matches and played the game with the same sense of adventure and fun that captures much of the story of his remarkable life.”

Born in Milan, Italy, where his father was a businessman, Dexter and his family came to England aged about three as the Second World War was about to break out.

He later studied at Cambridge and earned his Blues in cricket, as well as developing a lifelong passion for golf and also enjoying rugby.

Dexter, an aggressive middle-order batsman, was known to get bored if things did not happen on the field or if one or two moves did not pay off, and would stand in the field practising his golf swings.

He was famed for his nonchalance as well as hurling back the ball with control and ferocious power.

Simon Hughes wrote in the book And God Created Cricket that Dexter’s ideas “shaped modern cricket’ as he devised innovative field placings for limited overs games.

During the 1962 to 1963 tour of Australia and New Zealand, he made 481 runs (averaging 48.1) – the most by an England captain in Australia to this day.

In June this year, he was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.

He retired from cricket in 1968 to concentrate on other interests – and worked as a journalist, broadcaster, and founded a PR company. He also joined fellow ex-cricketer Bob Willis to find new fast bowlers for English cricket.

As a keen golfer he went on to write books about golfing techniques and also loved motorbikes, greyhounds, and racehorses.

Dexter was married to Susan Georgina Longfield, the daughter of Kent cricketer Tom Longfield and a model – and they had a son Thomas and a daughter Genevieve.

Related posts:

Sturgeon says Scotland ‘likely’ to keep COVID restrictions for further three weeks Nearly nine in 10 areas in UK seeing rise in COVID cases Wales to ease COVID rules from Saturday – but face masks still needed indoors and on public transport Euro 2020 final could have been abandoned without police intervention, says Met Woman who stabbed husband to death took over 999 call and refused to give aid, court hears Bravery awards for police officers following eye-gouging attack in water-logged storm drain ‘Alarming’ falls in life expectancy before COVID hit, new data shows – see where is worst in England Friends of Stephen Port’s first victim claim police made assumptions because he was a sex worker Man dies and woman critically injured in west London stabbings Refusal to increase killer’s sentence after he strangled woman during sex is ‘ultimate victim-blaming’ Husband of Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe ends hunger strike as his daughter ‘needs two parents’ Arrests made after Extinction Rebellion protests block Lord Mayor’s Show in London