Question

The English Test team was led by a professional, the Yorkshire batsman, _______.
(A) Dennis Lillee
(B) Len Hutton
(C) Eric Williams
(D) Frank Worrell

Answer 1

Hint: He was born on 23rd June 1916. He was an English batsman who played as an opening batsman for the Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1934 to 1955 and for England in 79 Test matches during the years 1937 and 1955.

Complete solution:
Sir Leonard Hutton was an English cricketer who had played as an opening batsman for Yorkshire County Cricket Club. His left arm was shortened by two inches following an injury, but it did not prevent him from becoming one of the greatest opening batsmen of all time and one of the very successful captains of England. In the year 1952, the English selectors at last gave in to the changing times, and appointed Len Hutton as captain. Being a cricketer, no one had better credentials. But, unlike Hammond, Hutton did not agree to become an amateur. Given his humble background, he could not afford to.
He became the very first professional cricketer of the 20th Century to captain England, under his captaincy England won the Ashes the following year for the first time in 19 years.

Therefore, Option B is the right answer.

Note-
Just as Yorkshire, England had frequently appointed captains who were not the regular members of their teams but the MCC, for the year 1952 series against India, took the completely unprecedented action of appointing a professional – One Leonard Hutton – to lead the country's Test team.
Wisden Cricketers Almanack also described him as one of the super greatest batsmen in cricket's history. He had managed to set a record in the year 1938 for the highest individual innings in a Test match that too in only his sixth Test appearance, scoring 364 runs against Australia, a milestone that lasted for about 20 years (and remains an England Test record). Following the Second World War, he was the mainstay of England's batting.