His most famous bowling was in the Third Test at Sydney in the 1965-66 Ashes series, where he took 5/63, forcing Australia to follow on, and England won their biggest victory down under for fifty years.
He was a good close to the wicket fielder and famously held two crucial catches off the bowling of Derek Underwood as England snatched victory late on the final day of the last test match against Australia at the Oval in 1968, to square the series 2-2.
An injury to Brown's opening bowling partner, John Snow, meant that Alan Ward was called up for the first Test against England's next opponents, New Zealand.
In 1982, in answer to an injury crisis, he returned to the fray at the age of 40, long after he had retired to farm and breed racehorses, and thus played in 390 first-class matches in all.
After his colleague, Gladstone Small, had been called up for Test duties on the morning of the second day of Warwickshire's County Championship game against Lancashire, at Southport, revised playing conditions allowed Brown to act as a full substitute.