Peter Roebuck

Peter Roebuck
Personal information
Full name
Peter Michael Roebuck
Born(1956-03-06)6 March 1956
Oddington, Oxfordshire, England
Died12 November 2011(2011-11-12) (aged 55)
Newlands, Cape Town, South Africa
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm off break
RoleBatsman
RelationsPaul Roebuck (brother)
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1974–1991Somerset
1975–1977Cambridge University
1992–2002Devon
First-class debut21 August 1974 Somerset v Warwickshire
Last First-class23 August 1991 Somerset v Yorkshire
List A debut3 May 1975 Combined Universities v Worcestershire
Last List A13 September 2001 Devon v Bedfordshire
Career statistics
Competition First-class List A
Matches 335 298
Runs scored 17,558 7,244
Batting average 37.27 29.81
100s/50s 33/93 5/38
Top score 221* 120
Balls bowled 7,606 1,785
Wickets 72 51
Bowling average 49.16 25.09
5 wickets in innings 1 0
10 wickets in match 0 0
Best bowling 6/50 4/11
Catches/stumpings 162/– 74/–
Source: Cricinfo, 21 August 2009

Peter Michael Roebuck (6 March 1956 – 12 November 2011) was an English cricketer who later became an Australian newspaper columnist and radio commentator.

A consistent county performer with over 25,000 runs, and "one of the better English openers of the 1980s",[1] Roebuck captained the English county side Somerset between 1986 and 1988. During 1989, Roebuck also captained an England XI one-day cricket team in two matches.[2] His post-playing career as an erudite writer earned him great acclaim as a journalist with the Sunday Times and later as an author.[1]

Roebuck died by suicide in Cape Town, South Africa, on 12 November 2011 after being asked by police to answer questions about an allegation of sexual assault.[3] A book by Tim Lane and Elliot Cartledge titled Chasing Shadows – The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck was published in October 2015.[4]

  1. ^ a b Steen, Rob (15 November 2011). "A sharp mind, a tormented soul". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  2. ^ "Netherlands v England XI". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  3. ^ Hannan, Liz; Jensen, Erik; Hennig, Wanda (15 November 2011). "Roebuck in a state of despair: 'He just had a brain snap – that is all I can assume'". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 November 2011. On arrival, Maxwell found two policemen and Roebuck stunned by news that a 26-year-old Zimbabwean man had accused him of sexual assault.
  4. ^ Cartledge, Elliot; Lane, Tim (2015). Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck. Hardie Grant Books. ISBN 978-1743790120.