Former Northamptonshire batsman Hylton Ackerman has died in Cape Town after a long illness at the age of 62.

A hard-hitting left-hander, Ackerman spent five seasons at the County Ground - between 1967 and 1971 - after being recommended to the club by Percy Davis. He had toured England with South African Schoolboys in 1963 and a couple of years later took a century (aged only 17) off Mike Smith's MCC team.

In 98 first-class matches for the County he scored 5,182 runs at 31.59 with eight centuries, including a career-best 208 against Leicestershire (the club his son 'H.D.' would later represent with distinction) at Grace Road in 1970. In that same year he also notched Northamptonshire's first century in the John Player League - 115 not out off Kent's attack at Dover.

He topped 1,000 first-class runs in three successive English seasons before deciding not to return to Wantage Road in 1972. The winter of 1971-2 saw him turn out for the World XI against Australia, scoring 112 against Dennis Lillee and 'Garth' McKenzie at Brisbane. Sadly, South Africa's cricketing isolation in the 1970s cost him his chance to play Test cricket.

He continued to appear in domestic cricket in SA - mostly for Western Province - for many years, later coaching at the country's Plascon Academy, serving on the Proteas' selection panel and becoming a well-respected TV commentator...sometimes in harness with another ex-County man, Roger Prideaux.

Northants Cricket would like to extend condolences to the friends and family of this very popular cricketer.