Former England Test captain Ted Dexter dies at the age of 86, surrounded by his family after a 'recent illness'... with the MCC paying tribute to their 'remarkable' former president

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Former England Test cricket captain Ted Dexter has died at the age of 86 following a 'recent illness'.

The former all-rounder - who captained his country in 30 of his 62 Test matches - passed away peacefully in the Compton Hospice in Wolverhampton at midday on Wednesday surrounded by his family.

The MCC paid tribute to their former president, describing him as 'remarkable' and as someone who played the game with 'adventure and fun'. 

Former England Test cricket captain Ted Dexter died at the age of 86 on Wednesday afternoon

Dexter captained England in 30 of his 62 Tests and also played for Sussex in the county game

'The MCC is deeply saddened to announce the death of the club's much-loved former president, Edward Dexter CBE,' a statement read.

'After a recent illness he passed away peacefully in the Compton Hospice in Wolverhampton at midday yesterday, surrounded by his family.

'Ted was a cherished husband, father and grandfather and one of England's greatest ever cricketers. 

'He was captain in 30 of his 62 Test matches and played the game with the same sense of adventure and fun that captures much of the story of his remarkable life.

Dexter scored 4,502 Test runs at an average of just under 48 as a strong middle-order batsman

After making his debut in 1958, Dexter (front row, furthest left) would go on to captain Sussex and England in the early 1960s

'His off-field contribution to the game was substantial too, most notably his work, with Colin Cowdrey, on the Spirit of Cricket. 

'Through his own PR agency, he became a pioneer in cricket's digital technology revolution and was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame earlier this summer.

'We kindly request that the privacy of Susan, his wife, and Genevieve and Tom, his daughter and son, is respected at this difficult time.'

Dexter scored 4,502 runs as a strong middle-order batsman for England and also combined that with excellent medium-pace bowling, claiming 66 wickets for his country at an average of 34.93.

Known as 'Lord Ted', Dexter was also famed for his bravery on the field for England and with county side Sussex. In all, he scored 21,150 first-class runs and claimed 419 wickets.

The final Test match of his career - which saw him hit nine centuries - came against Australia

Dexter is also one of five England batsmen to record a score of 50 in six consecutive innings

He made his Test debut against New Zealand in 1958, and went on to captain England between 1961 and 1964 as well as Sussex, also during the early 1960s. 

One of his most famous innings came against the West Indies at Lord's in 1963. Dexter came in with his side a wicket down without a run on the board, but counterpunched in trademark fashion by smashing 70 off just 73 balls.

He missed the start of the 1964-65 tour to South Africa because he was standing as a Conservative Party candidate for Cardiff South East. He would later join the team as vice-captain however after coming second in the constituency.

The hard-hitting former cricketer is also just one of just five England batsmen to record a score of at least 50 in six straight innings, an honour he shares along with Patsy Hendren, Ken Barrington, Sir Alastair Cook and current skipper Joe Root. 

He then went on to chair England's panel of selectors once he had retired from playing

The final Test match of his career - which saw him hit nine centuries and average 47.89 - came a decade after his debut in an Ashes match against Australia in 1968.

He also enjoyed success at county level as Sussex won the first two editions of the limited-overs Gillette Cup prior to his surprise two-match Test comeback in 1968.

He then went on to become the chairman on England's panel of selectors between 1989 and 1993 after retiring, before being made MCC president in 2002 a year on from being awarded a CBE.

Dexter also devised a method of ranking Test match players - known initially as the Deloitte Rankings - in the late 1980s, which has now come to be implemented as the ICC Player Rankings.

He was then inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in June this year. 

Dexter (right) became MCC president in 2002 a year on from being awarded a CBE

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan paid tribute to Dexter, tweeting: 'Such sad news .. Ted Dexter was someone who always went out of his way to offer so much great advice to me & many others.

'Seeing him arrive for lunch on his motorbike & then sit & listen to him discuss all cricketing issues was always a joy .. #RIPTed.'

Another ex-England skipper, Michael Atherton, hoped the current side would do Dexter proud on the second day of the third Test match against India, tweeting: 'Hope England's batsmen can put on a show today and that they play with the kind of grace and style and flair that Ted Dexter epitomised.'

Former England footballer Gary Lineker also paid his respects, tweeting: 'Really sorry to hear that Ted Dexter has died. One of English cricket’s greatest ever players. 

'Had the good fortune to play golf with him a number of times back in the day and he was a fabulous golfer too. A lovely, hugely charismatic man. RIP Ted.'