England's best of his generation, the staunchest and an Ashes hero: A look at Bob Willis' career

Bob Willis, a former England cricket captain and fast bowler, has died. He was 70.

Willis died after a long illness, his family said in a statement, calling him “an incredible husband, father, brother and grandfather."

Willis played 90 test matches from 1971-84 and took 325 wickets despite often having to bowl through chronic pain in his knees.

His greatest performance was widely considered to be in the third test of the 1981 Ashes series at Headingley, when he took eight Australian wickets for 43 runs.

After retirement, Willis became a cricket commentator.

Former England cricketers Bob Willis (L) Sir Ian Botham (C) and Mike Brearley (R) during a lap of honour to celebrate the fiftieth Edgbaston Test Match during lunch on day one of the 1st Investec Test match between England and West Indies at Edgbaston on August 17, 2017 in Birmingham

On the occasion of England's 1000th Test in August 2018, Willis was named in the nation's greatest Test XI by the England Cricket Board.