Sir Geoffrey Boycott has been readmitted to hospital and is being treated for pneumonia after undergoing surgery last week.
The 83-year-old former England Test cricketer was diagnosed with throat cancer earlier this month and underwent a three-hour operation on Wednesday to remove the cancer.
Boycott was discharged from hospital 48 hours after the procedure, which was deemed a “success”, but his family released a statement on social media on Sunday confirming that the ex-batsman had suffered a setback in his recovery and was being treated for pneumonia.
“Thank you all for the well wishes, we are overwhelmed by the number!” his daughter Emma wrote on her father’s X account (formerly Twitter).
‘Unfortunately, the situation has worsened and my father has contracted pneumonia. He cannot eat or drink and is currently back in hospital, on oxygen and through a feeding tube.’
Earlier this month, Boycott had revealed The Telegraph that his cancer had returned.
It has been more than 20 years since Boycott was first diagnosed with the disease in 2003. After a period of radiation therapy, Boycott went into remission.
“Over the last few weeks I’ve had an MRI scan, a CT scan, a PET scan and two biopsies and it’s now confirmed that I have throat cancer and I need surgery,” he said.
“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 they have to live with the possibility of it coming back. So I just keep going and hope for the best.”
During his impressive playing career, Boycott developed into one of the greatest English batsmen of all time. Between 1964 and 1982 he scored 8,114 Test runs for England, which placed him seventh on the list of all-time leading English scorers.
More to follow…