Bill Watson, former Australia batsman, passes away

The right-handed batsman made his Test debut for Australia in the 1954-55 Ashes Series against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and went on to play four Tests for his country.

He also featured in 41 first-class games, scoring 1958 runs including six hundreds and five half-centuries. His highest score of 206 for NSW came against Western Australia in Perth in December 1956.

"Our thoughts are with Bill’s family at this time, and all the friends he made throughout his time in cricket," said Cricket Australia CEO, Kevin Roberts.

"Bill made his Test debut in the 1954-55 Ashes Series, before playing in three matches in the team’s series victory against the West Indies in the Caribbean in 1955.

"He also made a valuable contribution to NSW cricket and was regarded as a legend of the St George club. We pay our respects to Bill and we are grateful for his deep involvement in all levels of the game. He will be sadly missed."