LONDON – English cricket is mourning the loss of Peter Lever, a distinguished figure in its history who was part of the victorious 1970-71 Ashes-winning team, as he has passed away at the age of 84. The announcement of his death was made by his former club, Lancashire, on Thursday.
In a solemn statement shared on social media platform X, Lancashire expressed their grief: “We are deeply saddened by the news that Peter Lever has passed away, aged 84. Peter was inducted into our Hall of Fame last year after playing 301 First-Class matches between 1960 and 1976 — taking 796 wickets. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
Lever’s cricket career included 17 Test matches and 10 one-day internationals, making his mark in history by participating in the very first one-day international match in 1971. His career, however, was not without dramatic events. In 1975, after showcasing one of the most remarkable fast bowling performances in Test history, he nearly ended the career and life of New Zealand tailender Ewen Chatfield.
He first appeared on the international stage in the summer of 1970, where he played against a Rest of the World XI at the Oval and achieved impressive figures of 7-83, claiming notable wickets such as Garry Sobers, Mushtaq Mohammad, Graeme Pollock, Clive Lloyd, and Mike Procter. Although the match later lost its Test status, it secured Lever a debut for the England team later that year at age 30, commencing in the Ashes series opener in Perth. His contributions in that series were pivotal as Australia was defeated on home soil, a rare feat with England securing a victory there for the first time since 1955.
Lever returned to Australia in 1975, where he delivered career-best figures of 6-38 in Melbourne. Within the opening day, he claimed four of the top five wickets for a mere two runs, contributing to England’s sole triumph in the six-Test series that year.
The unfortunate incident in New Zealand followed when Chatfield, batting last on his debut, suffered a near-fatal injury after a bouncer from Lever struck him on the unprotected left temple. The impact caused Chatfield to collapse and his heart to stop, prompting immediate CPR intervention by England’s physiotherapist Bernard Thomas, saving his life. This incident cast a long shadow over Lever, who was visibly shaken and later visited Chatfield in the hospital, confessing his contemplation of retirement.
He played in just one more Test, during the Ashes match at Lord’s in the summer of the same year, taking two wickets in what resulted in a draw, and rounded off his career with another season of first-class cricket for Lancashire.