Former England and Northamptonshire batter Wayne Larkins has died at the age of 71 after a short illness.

Larkins, popularly known as Ned, represented England in 13 Tests and 25 one-day internationals between 1979 and 1991, scoring 1,084 runs in total.

The right-hander’s best international innings was the 124 he struck in an ODI against Australia in Hyderabad in 1989, while he was also part of the team that reached the 1979 World Cup final versus West Indies at Lord’s.

Domestically, Larkins racked up over 700 appearances for Northamptonshire across first-class and one-day formats and scored almost 30,000 runs for the county.

He later joined Durham and then went on to play in the minor counties for Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire before retiring in 2001.

Throughout his career, Larkins notched 59 first-class hundreds and 26 in List A cricket.

‘Larkins feared no one with the new ball’

Northamptonshire said: “Unquestionably one of the most exciting and naturally talented English top-order batsmen of his generation, he feared no one with the new ball and could inflict severe damage on the very best.”

Larkins’ wife Debbie said: “Ned loved everyone he met and everyone loved him. People were drawn to his infectious energy. He lit up every room and never wanted the party to finish.

“He loved his soulmate of a wife and his precious daughters so much. He will be partying up in the sky, drinking a toast to everyone and to his own life.

“We are devastated but we’ll never forget his undeniably unique presence and his impact on our lives. We will carry him in our hearts forever.”