Not only was Fred Trueman one of the most magnificent fast bowlers England has ever produced, he was also one of the game's greatest characters. Trueman anecdotes, many of them embellished, others simply untrue, have enlivened many a cricket-dinner speech - and will continue to do so long after his passing.
His natural ability was supported by a fearsome image and a caustic wit. One true anecdote concerns his outcry - he would not have termed it sledging - to the Warwickshire batsman Billy Ibadulla. "You've got more edges than a broken pisspot," he exclaimed. He suggested to John Arlott, half jokingly, that his biography should be called "T'definitive story of't 'finest fast bowler that ever drew breath."
The brash behaviour of his youth was uncommon in the 1950s and did not endear him to authority. But many myths built up around Trueman. He had an image as a heavy drinker, but in reality a couple of pints, some decent pipe tobacco and the chance to hold court with other cricket lovers would generally suffice. His visits to opposing dressing rooms, where he would mentally tot up the number of wickets he could expect that day, became legendary. He loved to spread fear in opposing ranks and a Roy Ulyett cartoon - in which a West Indian mother urges her children to go to sleep "or that Fred Trueman will come to get you" - gave him great delight.
He was not an easy man to captain. Supremely confident in his own ability, he insisted on centre stage. But, as well as the bravado, there was a lesser-known side. He had an abiding respect for the game, and a sound knowledge of its history. In retirement, he gained an increasingly curmudgeonly reputation. On BBC radio's Test Match Special, his complaint: "I don't know what's going off out there," often preceded by a prolonged, dissatisfied grunt, virtually became a catchphrase.