Former Australia captain Allan Border has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, which is a brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements such as shaking, stiffness and difficulty with balance.
The 67-year-old Border, who led Australia to Cricket World Cup glory in 1987, said he was diagnosed with the disease in 2016 but attempted to hide it from the public. He added that it would be a “miracle” if he lived to be 80.
Parkinson's, for which there is no cure, causes progressive brain damage.
"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 told News Corp.
"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 68 (in July). 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. He said, 'That will be a miracle.'"
Test series between India and Australia — the Border-Gavaskar trophy — is named after him and former India opener Sunil Gavaskar.
Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc told reporters at Lord's in London: "It's sad to hear (that) of one of the greats of Australian cricket, a big character in the world of cricket, and our wishes go out to AB and to the family as well."
Border featured in 156 Tests for Australia and was the first batter to score 11,000-runs. He ended his career with 11,174 runs with the help of 27 centuries.
"No way am I going to get another hundred, that's for sure," Border said. "I'll just slip slowly into the west."
— Additional input from Reuters
- Allan Border