Allan Border: Australia great reveals Parkinson's diagnosis

Allan border at the 1989 Ashes seriesGetty Images

Allan Border was the first player in history to score 11,000 Test runs

Former Australia captain Allan Border has revealed he has Parkinson's disease.

Border, who led his country in a record 93 Test matches, chose to not go public when he was first diagnosed in 2016.

"I'm a pretty private person and I didn't want people to feel sorry for me, sort of thing," said Border, 67.

He played 156 Tests and 273 ODIs in a career that saw him lead Australia to 1987 World Cup glory and three Ashes series wins between 1989 and 1993.

Since retiring in 1994 he has worked as a commentator and a national team selector.

Border, who scored 27 centuries and 63 half-centuries in Tests, told The Australian: "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. If I make 80, that'll be a miracle.

"No way am I going to get another 100, that's for sure. I'll just slip slowly into the west."

Other than his family members, Border said he previously only told one other person of his diagnosis, his former Australia team-mate Dean Jones, who died in 2020.

What is Parkinson's disease?

  • The three main symptoms are involuntary shaking, slow movement and stiff and inflexible muscles

  • A person with Parkinson's can also experience a wide range of other physical and psychological symptoms, including depression and anxiety, balance problems, loss of sense of smell, problems sleeping and memory problems

  • Parkinson's disease is caused by a loss of nerve cells in part of the brain called the substantia nigra

  • Exactly what causes it is unclear - most experts think a combination of genetic and environmental factors is responsible

  • About one in 500 people is affected by Parkinson's disease

  • Although there's currently no cure, treatments including medication and physiotherapy can help reduce the main symptoms

  • With advances in treatment, most people with Parkinson's now have a normal or near-normal life expectancy

Source: NHS

Related Topics