Ruth Strauss, the wife of the former England cricket captain Andrew Strauss, has died aged 46 after suffering from a rare form of lung cancer.
“It is with great sadness and immense grief that we have to announce that Ruth passed away today as a result of her rare lung cancer,” said Strauss in a statement released via the England and Wales Cricket Board on Saturday. “Sam, Luca and I will miss her terribly.
“Anyone who has met Ruth will know how loving, caring and passionately protective she was of her family and it gives us huge comfort that she was in Australia, the land of her birth, surrounded by those who love her, in her final moments.”
Following a period of compassionate leave, Strauss stepped down as the director of the England and Wales Cricket Board in October after three and a half years. He took indefinite leave from the role, saying he “looked forward to returning and grabbing the reins again but, at this period of time, my focus has to be on supporting Ruth and my family at a challenging time for us”.
He had taken a break from day-to-day duties in the summer to help care for his wife, who was diagnosed with cancer during the Ashes in December 2017, prompting him to rush home during the second test of the series that saw the tourists comprehensively defeated.
He said at the time he had been unable to focus fully on the national side as he continued to support his family.
Strauss thanked everyone who treated Ruth and said his family planned to open a foundation to help fund research into the rare condition that led to her death.
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