Tom Graveney obituary

Of all the poetic images ventured to describe the cricketer Tom Graveney, who has died aged 88, none surpasses Alan Ross’s perception of his batting as yacht-like, “beautiful in calm seas, yet at the mercy of every change of weather”. Tall, slim of shoulder and gifted with rare elegance, he seemed to belong naturally at the batting crease. Indeed, his relaxed countryman image caused the dour England captain Len Hutton to nurse reservations about him. For his part, the affable Graveney was convinced that Hutton had no trust in any cricketer with rosy cheeks.

First chosen for England in 1951 against South Africa, Graveney went on to play in 79 Tests, the last in 1969. Yet only occasionally, despite some striking performances, was he an automatic choice. Partly this was down to Hutton’s early misgivings, but it was also due to Graveney’s frustrating inability to consistently project himself as a rock solid presence at international level. The grace and ease with which he batted perhaps enhanced this impression, though the sheer breadth of his achievements - including more than 100 first class hundreds – belied it.