Illingworth was 61 when he became England's chairman of selectors.
Ray Illingworth, who was a player, captain, commentator, administrator and coach in English cricket, died at the age of 89.
His Yorkshire tones and confrontational style made him a well-known figure in the game, even among those too young to remember a shrewd Test captain who enjoyed a playing career of unusual longevity.
Illingworth's first-class career began in 1951, two months after his 19th birthday, and continued for a decade after he played the last of his 61 Tests in 1983, at the age of 51.
In his 60s, he became a sought-after television commentator, yet in his later years, he became England's chairman of the selection committee.
From the air to the test arena.
Illingworth averaged 23. 24 in 61 Tests and made 1,832 runs at an economy rate of only 1.91 runs per over.
Raymond Illingworth was born in Pudsey on 8 June 1932 and lived in Farsley for the rest of his life.
He played for the Royal Air Force team that included future England team-mates Jim Parks, Fred Titmus and Fred Trueman and hit 56 on his Yorkshire debut in 1951.
Illingworth switched from seam to off-spin in his teens. In 1957, he completed a seasonal "double", passing 1,000 runs and 100 kills, and England came calling when he made his debut against New Zealand.
At international level, he proved his worth as a miserly spinner. He had to wait a long time for his first century, but he always sold himself short.
It was a successful year, with the success of the English cricket team and the title of Leicestershire.
Illingworth's team won a maiden County Championship in 1975, as well as two Sunday Leagues and two Benson & Hedges Cups. He was the father of a young David Gower.
Illingworth was a stalwart of the hugely successful Yorkshire side that won seven of nine county championship titles from 1958 to 1966 and captained them to three successive triumphs from 1966 before a contract dispute saw him leave.
Illingworth led England for the first time at age 37 in 1969. He was a stand-in for Colin Cowdrey and kept the job as England went on to win all three Tests.
Illingworth's greatest achievement was regaining the Ashes in Australia in 1970-71, as he got the best out of players such as John Snow and Geoffrey Boycott.
It was a rancorous series, played in front of hostile crowds and with biased Australian umpires, who did not give a single decision to the English in the entire series.
Snow was warned for intimidatory bowling and was then hit with beer cans and grabbed by an angry spectator as he went to field.
Illingworth took his team off the field, and play resumed after he was warned by the umpires that England risked not winning the match.
Illingworth's England captaincy ended after a series defeat by the West Indies in 1973, but he was still in charge of the Leicestershire team and they won the County Championship in 1975.
He came back to Yorkshire without a trophy since 1969 after ending his playing career at 46.
Despite finishing bottom of the Championship for the first time in 1983, he captained the side for a further two seasons, but bowed out after leading them to the Sunday League title in 1983.
He was a regular voice on the TV cricket coverage.
England has a one-man committee.
Illingworth fined Atherton for the "dirt in the pocket" saga, and clashed with him over selection.
In 1994, Illingworth succeeded Ted Dexter as chairman of the selectors and fined Mike Atherton for the "dirt in the pocket" affair.
Illingworth the captain clashed with tour manager David Clark in 1970-71 and the chairman did the same in the same year.
Illingworth became team "supremo" after the coach was sacked in 1995 and was denied the players he wanted for the 1994-95 Ashes in Australia or the 1996 World Cup in Asia.
His man-management was questioned as he fell out with England players such as Robin Smith, and was not always in tune with his junior players.
Neil Smith, who was selected as an unlikely opening batter at the World Cup, said that he didn't get anything from Ray Illingworth.
We had two discussions, one about Fred Trueman and Brian Statham and the other about holiday homes in Spain.
Illingworth tried to set the record straight by writing a book, but he was charged with bringing the game into disrepute, which hurt him deeply.
After David Lloyd took over as coach after the World Cup, Illingworth took over as chairman of the selectors for another year before handing over to David Graveney.
In his second year as Yorkshire's president, he had a heart attack, and in November of 2021, he revealed that he was receiving treatment for oesophageal cancer.
He was the oldest player to play in a one-day international when he led England against Australia in 1971.
