FORMER England batsman Ken Barrington was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in front of a large and appreciative international crowd during the tea interval of the fourth and final Test between England and India and The Oval, London today. The late Barrington’s commemorative cap was received by two of his former England and Surrey team-mates John Edrich and Micky Stewart from ICC Director and the England and Wales Cricket Board Chairman Giles Clarke for his induction into the Hall of Fame, a joint initiative between the ICC and the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA).
Barrington was born in 1930 and is regarded as one of England’s most stylish batsmen, in addition to being an occasional and useful leg-break bowler. He passed away on March 14, 1981.
Born in Reading, Barrington played for Surrey throughout his career as well as representing England 82 times in Test matches accumulating an average of 58.67, scoring 20 Test centuries in the process.
Barrington amassed 6 806 Test runs and in English Test batting circles his career Test average is only surpassed by Eddie Paynter and another ICC Cricket Hall of Famer, Herbert Sutcliffe.
Barrington’s 256 in the fourth Test at Old Trafford in 1964 is the highest post-World War II century for England against Australia and he twice made centuries in four successive Tests. He was the first England batsman to make a hundred on all six of England’s then traditional Test grounds – Old Trafford, Edgbaston, Headingley, Lord’s, Trent Bridge and his home ground of The Oval.
The statistics paint a clear picture of just how good Barrington was in his day. Between 1953 and 1968 he scored 31 714 first-class runs at an average of 45.63 with 76 centuries.
He had an untimely heart-attack at 37 and was forced into early retirement from the game to then take over later in life as England assistant team manager. Barrington passed away in 1981 while on tour with the England team in Barbados.
Edrich said: “It is a great honour to be receiving Ken’s cap on his behalf. He was a fantastic team-mate and a great man and is thoroughly deserving of this award and recognition he is receiving today from the ICC and FICA.”
Stewart added: “It is a great pleasure and honour to receive this cap on behalf of Ken, one of England’s greatest batsmen and my mate for 30 years.”