Ted Dexter

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

English Flag
Ted Dexter
England (Eng)
Ted Dexter
Batting style Right-handed batsman (RHB)
Bowling type Right arm medium
Tests First-class
Matches 62 327
Runs scored 4502 21150
Batting average 47.89 40.75
100s/50s 9/27 51/108
Top score 205 205
Balls bowled 5317 26249
Wickets 66 419
Bowling average 34.93 29.92
5 wickets in innings 0 9
10 wickets in match 0 2
Best bowling 4/10 7/24
Catches/stumpings 29/0 233/0

Test debut: 24 July 1958
Last Test: 27 August 1968
Source: [1]

Edward Ralph "Ted" Dexter (born May 15, 1935 in Milan, Italy) is a former English cricketer.

He was educated at Norfolk House in Beaconsfield and Radley College, where he played in the first XI from 1950 to 1953, as captain in 1953. He did National Service as a subaltern in Malaya. He went up to Jesus College, Cambridge in October 1955, where he played golf and rugby in addition to winning his cricket Blue and playing in the University Match in 1956, 1957 and (as captain) 1958. He was also a fine golfer, but decided to play cricket for Sussex.

Standing six foot tall, he was a swashbuckling batsman and a capable bowler. He was first selected to play Test cricket for England in 1958, against New Zealand at Old Trafford, scoring a half-century. He was not selected to tour to Australia that winter, but flew out as a replacement for the 3rd Test at Sydney. He became a fixture in the England team from 1959.

He captained Sussex from 1960 to 1965, and became England captain for the tour to India and Pakistan in 1961-62. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1961. Under his captaincy, Sussex won the inaugural Gillette Cup in 1963, and retained the title in 1964. He lost the England captaincy after losing the Ashes 1-0 at home in 1964, but remained in the Test side as a batsman.

His cricket career was virtually ended by a bizarre accident in 1965. His Jaguar car ran out of petrol in west London, and he was pushing it to safety when it pinned him to a warehouse door, breaking his leg.[2] [3] He returned to play a few further first-class matches in 1967 and 1968, and played in two final Tests for the England team against Australia in 1968.

He retired from cricket to concentrate on other interests. He became a cricket writer and broadcaster and founded a PR company. In 1989 he became chairman of the England cricket selectors. He resigned in 1993, after the team's poor performance in the Ashes and in its tour to India, to be replaced by Tony Lewis.[4] He also became president of the MCC, and was chairman of the MCC's cricket committee. He was also Chairman of the MCC's "England Committee", which was an administrative role. He was awarded the CBE in the New Year's Honours List in December 2000.[5]

Outside cricket, he stood against James Callaghan in Cardiff South East in the 1964 general election, but lost. [6]

He married Susan Longfield, the daughter of a former Bengal and Kent cricketer Tom Longfield.

He co-wrote with Clifford Makins the crime novel Testkill (1976) where an Australian bowler is murdered during play at a Test match against England at Lord's.



Ted Dexter's career performance graph.
Ted Dexter's career performance graph.
Preceded by
Peter May
English national cricket captain
1961/2-1963
Succeeded by
M. J. K. Smith
Preceded by
M. J. K. Smith
English national cricket captain
1964
Succeeded by
M. J. K. Smith

[edit] External links