Remembering Norman Gifford: A Cricket Icon's Legacy

Gifford played 15 Tests between 1964 and 1973 before captaining his country, at the age of 44, in his two one-day internationals in 1985. A wily left-arm spinner he claimed a remarkable 2,068 first-class wickets during a three-decades long playing career during which he captained Worcestershire and Warwickshire before retiring at the age of 48. Gifford earned a contract at New Road after seeing an advert in a cricket magazine to trial at the club and, after arriving from his native Lancashire, would become a long-standing influential figure on and off the field. He was an integral part of the Worcestershire team that claimed breakthrough back-to-back County Championship titles in 1964 and 1965 and would captain the county to a third title in 1974. The following year he was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year and in 1978 was awarded an MBE for services to cricket. He also led the Pears to their first Sunday League title in 1971 and returned to the club as President in 2017 and was appointed as a Life Honorary Vice-President two years later. He joined the Pears’ rivals Warwickshire for five years in 1983 and during that time was recalled by England for an ODI series in Sharjah when, at the age of 44 years and 359 days, he became the oldest ODI debutant captain in international cricket. The ECB would like to offer it condolences to all of Norman’s family and friends.