Jim Parks obituary

The selection of Jim Parks to play his second Test match for England in 1960 marked the beginning of a trend towards the pre-eminence of wicketkeeper-batsmen in international cricket. Before then, Test sides had generally opted for specialist keepers who were not necessarily much good with the bat. While Parks, who has died aged 90, was no slouch behind the stumps, he was chosen ahead of technically better exponents of the art. His subsequent successes set the standard for those who followed, from Alan Knott to Alec Stewart and Jonny Bairstow.

In his early years he was not even a wicketkeeper. At Sussex from 1949 onwards he had been a batsman who could bowl a bit – until one afternoon in 1958 he kept wicket for fun during the final session of a dead match against Middlesex. His captain, Robin Marlar, then offered Parks the job ahead of the regular keeper, Rupert Webb, whose career batting average was just 11.72, and was due to retire.

The switch worked for Sussex and was also the making of Parks. His decision to accept the gauntlets doubled his value overnight, and for much of the next decade he was a Test regular.

Born in Haywards Heath in Sussex, Parks came from a cricketing family: his father, Jim senior, played one Test for England and was a Sussex all-rounder between 1924 and 1939. Young Jim’s mother, Irene (nee Heaver), died of tuberculosis when he was four, and with his father away for much of the year he was largely brought up by his maternal grandparents.

Playing cricket for Hove county school and Haywards Heath, Jim was soon appearing at junior level for Sussex and signed a contract in 1949, aged 18. He made his first class debut that year, and the following one made a maiden century (159 not out) against Kent.