Joey Benjamin, the former England pacer, has passed away aged 60 after suffering a heart attack. Benjamin had played a solitary Test and two ODIs for England and was known for his stints in the county circuit with Surrey and Warwickshire. Benjamin was born in St Kitts before moving to England at a young age. Known for impressing with his outswingers, he was offered a contract by Warwickshire initially before moving to Surrey in 1992. Benjamin flourished at Surrey, picking up 64 wickets in his second season and 80 in his third.
He finally got an opportunity to make his debut for England in 1994 at the age of 33 in a Test match against South Africa. Benjamin impressed in the first innings picking up four wickets but the match is known for Devon Malcolm's nine-wicket haul in the second innings that helped England win the game. Even though Benjamin didn't go on to play another Test match, he did represent them in the 50-over format a couple of times in Australia. He was eventually released by Surrey in 1999. "Joey was absolutely outstanding for us in the mid-1990s, particularly that 1994 season," his former new-ball partner Martin Bicknell told Surrey. "He hustled batsmen and nicked them off with his outswinger. He was a fine bowler and even though he didn't start until pretty late he was unlucky not to play more Test cricket. "It's come as a massive and terrible shock to all of us that he's been lost to us, he seemed so incredibly fit."
