Warwickshire County Cricket Club is saddened to hear of the passing of Norman Gifford MBE, after a long battle with illness.
A left-arm orthodox spinner, Gifford played for Warwickshire between 1983-88, taking 471 wickets across First Class and List A cricket, including 15 five-wicket hauls.
He captained Warwickshire between 1985-87, and during his first season with the Bears, Gifford took 104 wickets in First Class matches. It was the fourth time he had done so in a single season.
Originally making his First Class debut for Worcestershire in 1960, Gifford broke into the England Test team in 1964 following four stellar years in the County Championship.
He went on to represent his country 17 times, making his ODI debut whilst playing for Warwickshire in 1985.
Extraordinarily, that debut came six days before his 45th birthday, and he also captained the side in place of the rested David Gower.
Gifford’s contribution to West Midlands cricket is recognised in the Warwickshire vs Worcestershire Vitality Blast derby, where the teams battle it out to claim the Norman Gifford Trophy.
In total, Gifford took 2,068 First Class wickets during his career, the last player to reach the landmark, a record that will likely stand forever.
In his 710 First Class matches, he also scored over 7,000 runs with three half-centuries and a high score of 89.
Following his retirement from professional cricket aged 48, Gifford went on to coach at Sussex, Durham and Worcestershire, where he became president in 2017 before being awarded an Honorary Life Vice Presidency.
In 1978, Gifford was awarded an MBE for his contributions to cricket.