Former England skipper Ray Illingworth, who famously captained the team to an Ashes triumph in Australia in 1970–71, has said he is undergoing treatment for esophageal cancer.
A combative Yorkshireman who captained England in 31 test matches between 1958 and 1973 and played in the first ever one-day international in 1971, Illingworth also had spells as an administrator and the coach of the national team.
The 89-year-old, whose wife Shirley died in March after her own fight with cancer, said he was hopeful of a full recovery.
"They got rid of a lot of the tumour but there were still two centimetres left, originally it was eight," Illingworth told the Daily Telegraph .
"They're just hoping to get rid of the last bit with extra double doses (of radiotherapy). I will see how these next two doses go, keep my fingers crossed and hope I have a bit of luck.
"I don't want to have the last 12 months that my wife had. She had a terrible time going from hospital to hospital and in pain. I don't want that," he added.
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