Edrich battles with incurable leukemia

John Edrich, who played 77 times for England and hit an unbeaten 310 against New Zealand in 1965, is suffering from an incurable form of leukemia and has been told he has only seven years to live.

John Edrich, who played 77 times for England and hit an unbeaten 310 against New Zealand in 1965, is suffering from an incurable form of leukemia and has been told he has only seven years to live.

The 63-year-old former Surrey opener has revealed that he has a rare form of the disease called Waldenstrom's.

"I hadn't seen a doctor for about 10 years. But I'd been feeling tired for a while," said Edrich, whose England career lasted from 1964-74 with 5,138 runs at an average of 43.54. "Having taken blood tests, they discovered leukemia," Edrich added. "It was quite a shock. You can't fight it. You have to have faith in your consultant and the treatment."

Edrich, who opened the England innings with Geoff Boycott among others, was England's batting coach until five years ago. "I asked how it was going to affect my lifestyle. They said I would feel tired from time to time and would have to live with it. It was very upsetting for my wife, too," he said.

"I think we've got to be grateful for what we've had. I did something which I loved and had the ability to play cricket at the highest level."