Neal Abberley dies aged 67

Neal Abberley, the former Warwickshire opening batsman who went on to become an influential batting coach, has died in hospital of a heart and lung condition aged 67. Abberley was a mentor to England batsman Ian Bell, who will wear a black armband in the upcoming Test against India at Edgbaston.

Abberley, a left-handed top-order batsman, was on the books at Warwickshire for more than a decade and a half but throughout his career was never quite able to nail down a permanent spot in the side. His best period was in the late 1960s and early 1970s when he passed 1000 runs in a season three times, and in 1966-67 toured Pakistan with the MCC Under-25 side, a trip which was ended prematurely when he broke a finger. He was equally unable to command a regular place in the county's formidable one-day team, although he appeared in two winnings Gillette Cup finals in 1966 and 1968 in what were only his fourth and seventh List A matches - and in neither year had he played in the semi-finals.

Over a career that spanned 15 years at the county, he scored over 10,000 first-class runs at 24.47.

His lasting impact to Warwickshire, though, came as a coach where he joined the staff in 1981. Ashley Giles, Warwickshire's director of cricket, told thecricketer.com: "To me he was a mentor, a confidant but, most of all, a friend. We knew he was getting a little bit fragile but we didn't realise how fragile so his death has come as a shock to everyone.

"He gave his life to Warwickshire and there are a lot of players who owe a huge debt of gratitude to him. Without Neal Abberley I would not be Warwickshire's director of cricket and I would not have played 54 Tests for England. When I first met him I was an 18-year-old triallist and I was still wet behind the ears having come from living at home with mum and dad.

"He helped me to grow up. He was old school and it was a tough school at times and a steep learning curve. But Neal was a great influence on me and he set me on the road to where I am now."

The third Test will be the first since Edgbaston's £32million redevelopment and Warwickshire are expected to fly flags at half-mast during the match.