Former England all-rounder Fred Titmus, whose playing career with Middlesex spanned five decades, has died at the age of 78 after a long illness, the club said on Wednesday. The off-spinner played 53 tests for England and in four Ashes series against Australia, the last in 1974-75. He made his first-class debut for Middlesex in 1949 at the age of 16 and his final appearance in 1982 after a record span of 33 seasons.
Despite losing four toes when his foot was caught in a propeller in a boating accident during the 1967/68 Tour of the West Indies, Titmus was able to continue his international career into the 1970s. ""Fred was a fine cricketer, a fine off-spin bowler and a very useful batsman. In that era there were so many off-spinners around in the world and he was up there with the best of them," former test umpire Dickie Bird told the BBC.