Wilfred Norris Slack (12 December 1954 – 15 January 1989)[1] was an English cricketer, who played in three Test matches and two One Day Internationals for England in 1986.
A left-handed opening batsman, Slack was a victim of mysterious blackouts while playing, and he died, apparently of a heart attack,[2] while batting in The Gambia, aged 34.
[5] Slack made his Middlesex debut in 1977, but failed to establish himself in the side, in part because he played out of position, in the middle order.
Slack was part of a successful Middlesex side, winning the County Championship in 1982 and 1985, the 1983 Benson & Hedges Cup and the 1984 NatWest Trophy.
[9] Simon Hughes wrote of him in A Lot of Hard Yakka: "Wilf Slack, a reserved Windward Islander who never betrayed any nerves despite the daily task of standing up to some of the fastest bowlers in the world, rarely said anything when he came back into the dressing-room.
[6] Whilst in Sri Lanka, Slack was rushed to the West Indies during England's 1985–86 tour to replace the injured Mike Gatting.
He again failed to impress but had a successful county season by topping 1,000 runs once more, also helping Middlesex to win the 1986 Benson & Hedges Cup.
During the 1988 English cricket season, Slack suffered a number of blackouts on the field or in the nets, but exhaustive tests had failed to identify the cause.
Slack was buried in his prized England blazer, bat at his side, and as the funeral cortege drove past Lord's, the Grace Gates bore a sign reading "Farewell Wilf".