Former England and Lancashire player Peter Lever has passed away at the age of 84 following a short illness. He served as England’s bowling coach under Ray Illingworth and was inducted into the Lancashire Hall of Fame last year, according to a report by ESPNcricinfo.
During his career in the 1960s and ’70s, Lever claimed nearly 1,000 wickets for Lancashire. He earned 17 Test caps for England and also played in 10 One Day Internationals (ODIs).
Initially, Lever’s opportunities with England were limited due to intense competition among seam bowlers, and he had to wait until he was 30 to make his official debut. He had played for England against the Rest of the World in the summer of 1970, taking 7 for 83—including the dismissals of Graeme Pollock, Garry Sobers, and Clive Lloyd—but those matches later lost their Test status.
He played in five Tests during the 1970-71 Ashes series, taking 13 wickets as England triumphed 2-0 to reclaim the title. He was also selected for the inaugural ODI, which was played due to the cancellation of the Melbourne Test.
Although his appearances for England remained sporadic, Lever toured Australia and New Zealand again in 1974-75. During the Auckland Test, he bowled the delivery that struck New Zealand’s Ewen Chatfield on the side of the head, necessitating mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for the No. 11 batter on the field.
Lever was part of the England team that reached the semi-finals of the first Men’s World Cup later that year, though he only made one more Test appearance before retiring in 1976.
In his 17 Test matches, he took 41 wickets at an average of 36.80, with an economy rate of 2.53. In his 10 ODIs, he claimed 11 wickets at an average of 23.72 and an economy rate of 3.55. His best bowling figures of 6/38 came against Australia, and he recorded two five-wicket hauls in his career.
