Former Australia captain Allan Border has revealed he has Parkinson’s disease and was first diagnosed in 2016.
Border, who led his country in a record 93 Test matches, chose not to go public when he first found out but believes it is only a matter of time before his condition becomes more apparent.
The 67-year-old, who played 156 Tests and 273 ODIs during a distinguished playing career that saw him lift the 1987 World Cup, told The Australian: “I’m a pretty private person and I didn’t want people to feel sorry for me, sort of thing.
“Whether people care you don’t know, but I know there’ll come a day when people will notice.”
Border played 156 Test matches for Australia during a distinguished career
Recalling his diagnosis seven years ago, he said: “I walked into the neurosurgeon’s and he said straight up ‘I’m sorry to tell you but you’ve got Parkinson’s. Just the way you walked in. Your arms straight down by your side, hanging not swinging’. He could just tell.
“I get the feeling I’m a hell of a lot better off than most. At the moment I’m not scared, not about the immediate future anyway. I’m (nearly) 68.
“If I make 80, that’ll be a miracle. I’ve got a doctor friend and I said if I make 80, that’ll be a miracle, and he said ‘That will be a miracle’.
“No way am I going to get another 100, that’s for sure. I’ll just slip slowly into the west.”