Boycott to undergo surgery after new diagnosis of throat cancer

Geoffrey Boycott has been diagnosed with throat cancer for the second time and will undergo surgery, the England cricket great announced on July 2 (Tuesday). Boycott, 83, was diagnosed last week with a return of the cancer after being treated for the disease with chemotherapy and radiotherapy in 2002.

The former opening batsman will now undergo surgery in two weeks to remove the cancer. In a statement to Britain’s Daily Telegraph, for which he remains a columnist, Boycott said: “Over the last few weeks I have had an MRI scan, CT scan, PET scan and two biopsies and it has now been confirmed that I have throat cancer and will require surgery.

“I know from experience that to beat cancer a second time, you need excellent medical treatment and a good dose of luck. And even if the surgery is successful, every cancer patient knows that they have to live with the possibility of it coming back. So I just keep going and hope for the best.”

Boycott is one of a select group of cricketers to have scored 100 first-class centuries. For England he scored more than 8,000 runs in 108 Tests at an average of almost 48. Boycott also captained England in four Tests in 1978 in place of the injured Mike Brearley.

After his 24-year first-team career ended when Yorkshire sacked him in 1986, Boycott went on to become a newspaper columnist and a well-known TV presenter, building a worldwide fan base.

He was a hugely popular figure on the Indian subcontinent. In 2020, his 14-year stint as a commentator on BBC Radio’s Test Match Special came to an end.

Boycott said at the time that the quadruple bypass surgery he underwent in 2018, along with the coronavirus pandemic, were factors in his decision to end his BBC career.

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