Tom Maynard dies in tube accident

Tom Maynard, the Surrey and England Lions batsman, has died at 23 after being struck by a train on the London underground, the club and the Metropolitan police have confirmed.

Maynard's body was found on the rails at South Wimbledon tube station tube station in south around dawn this morning after he was hit by a district line train. Initial reports that Maynard died in a car accident have been discounted.

British Transport Police officers were called to the line near Wimbledon Park London Underground station. A statement said: "The incident was reported to BTP at 5.03am and was also attended by Metropolitan Police officers. London Ambulance Service medics attended but the man, believed to be 23 years old, was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident is currently being treated as non-suspicious."

The news was broken to shocked England's players as they arrived at Maynard's home ground of The Oval ahead of the second ODI against West Indies on Tuesday.

A Surrey statement said: "Maynard was an incredibly talented young batsman. His future potential was unlimited, with experts both inside and outside the club predicting he would soon follow in the footsteps of his father Matthew by graduating to full England honours."

Surrey's chairman Richard Thompson said: "Our thoughts at this awful time are with Tom's family and friends and all those that were close to him. The impact Tom made in such a short period of time for Surrey CCC spoke for itself. There is a profound sense of loss at the passing of Tom. To lose anybody at such a young age is an utterly senseless tragedy."

ECB Chairman Giles Clarke said: "Tom was a player of enormous potential who had already represented England Lions and had an exciting future ahead of him. Our hearts go out to the Maynard family for their tragic loss and we send them and all Tom's many friends and colleagues within the game our deepest sympathies."

Surrey have postponed their Friends Life t20 game against the Hampshire Royals at the Oval on Wednesday, but England's ODI is expected to go ahead.

Tom Maynard was the son of Matthew Maynard, the former Glamorgan batsman who played Test and one-day cricket for England.

Maynard was regarded as one of the brightest talents in the game, a destructive middle-order batsman who was perfectly suited to Surrey's enterprising style of cricket. He had played in Surrey's FLt20 defeat by Kent at Beckenham on Sunday

He left Glamorgan following the removal of his father, Matthew, as director of cricket in November 2010 and joined Surrey where Rory Hamilton-Brown, a former Millfield schoolmate, had been appoointed the youngest captain in the country.

Tragedy has struck Surrey for the third time in 16 years. Ben Hollioake, an England all-rounder of rich promise, was killed in a car crash in Australia after driving back late at night from a family meal. Hollioake, 24, died instantly when his black Porsche 924 came off the road on a ramp in the early hours of the morning in Perth, Western Australia.

England's cricketers, who were contesting the second Test in Wellington, New Zealand, when hearing of Hollioake's death requested that the England flag be lowered to half-mast and wore black armbands.

Six years earlier, Graham Kersey, the county's wicketkeeper, died in a car accident near Brisbane in December 1996. Adam Hollioake, Ben's brother and then Surrey captain, dedicated their Benson and Hedges final success the following summer to the player.

From Australia, Adam Hollioake's tweet must have spoken for many when he wrote: "Wot is going on at Surrey? R we cursed or something? Graham Kersey, my bro, now this.... Treasure every moment with loved ones x."