England cricket great Lamb gobsmacked by support after prostate cancer diagnosis

Former England cricketer Allan Lamb has revealed the wave of support after he announced he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Lamb was a mainstay of England's batting order throughout the 1980s, playing 79 Tests and 122 one-day internationals over the course of his glittering career.

He took to social media to announce his diagnosis, and was blown away by the reaction as celebrities and fans alike reached out to offer their support.

“It’s fantastic to see that so many people care about you,” Lamb, who has began radiotherapy, told Sportsmail. “You don't even know how many friends you have out there.

“Elton John called me yesterday to wish me all the luck and we had a long chat.Piers Morgan, Beefy (Ian Botham), David Gower. Loads of my cricketing friends. The England team have been brilliant.

“I’ve been gobsmacked by all of the support.”

Lamb was met with a wave of support in response to his tweet, including from former England footballer Gary Lineker.

The former Tottenham and Everton striker tweeted: “Sorry to read this, Lamby. Wish you a full and speedy recovery. Important message too.”

Lamb was diagnosed in September after a blood test found his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels had risen. He was referred to a specialist to conduct a biopsy and he received the news while on holiday in France.

The 67-year-old made the public announcement to raise awareness of a condition that took the life of his friend Bob Willis just two years ago.

“You don't usually want to put stuff on social media about your health but I think it's so important,” Lamb admitted.

“If I can save lives and get the awareness out to people, then I'm all for it. I don't mind telling people what's wrong with me.

“We lost Bob Willis and he was quite embarrassed about it and he kept it very quiet. My advice to all men over 50 is to go and have a check-up. Otherwise we are going to lose too many people.”

Lamb, who hit 14 Test centuries in 79 games between 1982 and 1992, ended his Test career against Pakistan exactly 10 years after he had made his debut, with his ODI career culminating two months later against the same opposition.

Lamb has been told he can carry on with his daily life, so he continues to work with his sports events and travel company, Lamb Associates. He would have still gone and led a supporters tour to next month’s Ashes, but Australia’s strict Covid travel restrictions have denied him that opportunity.

A two-time Ashes winner, Lamb does not believe England stand much of a chance going Down Under and claiming the win, even with the return of Ben Stokes.

Lamb added: “Australia will be favourites because of their bowling.”

After retirement, Lamb worked as an analyst on Channel 5 and Sky Sports' cricket coverage.

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