London: Former South African allrounder Edgar (Eddie) Barlow passed away on Friday, December 30 after a long illness.
Barlow, who was born on August 12, 1940, represented his country from 1961 to 1970, and also played for Transvaal (now known as Gauteng), Western Province and Derbyshire in England during his distinguished career that spanned 21 years.
He played 30 Tests and scored 2561 runs which included six centuries and 15 half-centuries. He also took 40 wickets for an average 34.05 runs with the best figures of five for 85.
Barlow had been confined to a wheelchair and spent his final years in north Wales after suffering a stroke in 2000.
An unlikely sporting hero with his burly build, round face and spectacles, Barlow personified the enterprise and aggression of the 1960s team.
Despite his appearance, described by South African radio commentator Charles Fortune as "looking like an unmade bed", he was a fine all-round sportsman who represented the Transvaal rugby union side against New Zealand and the Lions.
After concentrating on cricket Barlow made his debut against John Reid's 1961-2 New Zealand side, showing his flair as an opening batsmen by repeatedly slicing the pace bowlers over the slips.
He came of age as an international batsman in the 1964-4 series in Australia, scoring fighting centuries in the first two tests.
In the fourth test at Adelaide he struck 201, sharing a stand of 341 in 283 minutes with Graeme Pollock, the majestic young left-hander who was to become his country's premier batsman.
Barlow scored heavily at home against the 1964-5 England team and played in all three tests in the 1965 series in England, won 1-0 by the South Africans.
Along with his team mates, Barlow went into international exile after the 1969-70 series when the country's sports teams were ostracised because of the white-ruled republic's racial separation policies.
After representing with distinction a Rest of the World side against England in 1970, Barlow turned his energies to inspiring Derbyshire in the English county championship. He took up coaching after his retirement, and was in charge of Bangladesh briefly before he was immobilised by his stroke.
From 1961 to 1970 Barlow played 30 tests, scoring 2,561 runs at an average of 45.74 and taking 40 wickets at 34.05 each. He was also a sure-handed slip fielder who held 35 catches.
His superb knowledge of the game was recognised when he was appointed to coach Bangladesh in 1999.
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