Former West Indies batsman Walcott dies aged 80

NEW DELHI, Aug 26 (Reuters) Former West Indies batting great Clyde Walcott died in Barbados aged 80, the BBC reported today.

Walcott, one of the three Ws in West Indies cricket with Frank Worrell and Everton Weeks, played 44 tests in his 12-year career from 1948, scoring 3,798 runs at an average of 56.68, including 15 hundreds.

The Barbados player went on to become the chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in the 1990's.

Walcott first made the headlines as a 20-year-old when he shared an unbroken 574-run fourth wicket partnership with schoolmate and future captain Worrell for Barbados against Trinidad.

A well-built batsman who drove and cut powerfully, Walcott also bowled fast-medium and was an occasional wicketkeeper.

The highlight of Walcott's career was the 1954-55 home series against Australia when he amassed a then West Indies record aggregate of 827 runs, including five hundreds, although the five-match contest ended in a 3-0 defeat.

He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1958.

REUTERS PDM RAI2257