'That'll be a miracle if...' - Australia great Allan Border reveals he has Parkinson's disease

Allan Border (Source: Twitter)

Former Australia captain Allan Border has revealed that he is suffering from Parkinson’s disease. The 67-year-old was diagnosed with the brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements in 2016, but he wanted to keep it private.

Speaking to Newscorp, the legendary cricketer said that he is a private person and does not want people to sympathise with him. "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. I get the feeling I'm a hell of a lot better off than most,” said Border.

Border, who guided Australia to their maiden world title in the 1987 Cricket World Cup, said that he is not concerned about the immediate future. He also believes he will not live to be 80, and that if he does, it will be a miracle. “At the moment I'm not scared, not about the immediate future anyway. I'm 68. 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, and he said, that will be a miracle,” the left-handed batter said.

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

Border made his debut for Australia in 1978 and decorated his 16-year career with 30 centuries and 102 fifties. However, Border said he will not get another 100 in his life: “No way am I going to get another 100, that's for sure. I'll just slip slowly into the west." He was the first player to score more than 11,000 runs in Test cricket, a record that was later broken by West Indies great Brian Lara.

Border, nicknamed A.B., took over as captaincy from Kim Hughes in the 1984-85 season. Apart from the ODI World Cup victory in 1987, he also led Australia to a 4-0 Ashes sweep in 1989. The historic Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia is named after him and former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar.

Australian pacer Mitchell Starc, who is currently playing the Ashes 2023 in England, said he was saddened to hear the news that Border has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. "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," the left-arm pacer told reporters.