Dan Piachaud

James Daniel Piachaud (1 March 1937 – 2 April 2026) was a Sri Lankan first-class cricketer. He studied in England at the University of Oxford, where he made 52 appearances in first-class cricket — the joint-highest amount for the university — and took nearly 150 wickets as an off break bowler. Piachaud also played county cricket for Hampshire and first-class cricket for Ceylon.

Biography The son of James Arthur Piachaud, he was born in March 1937 at Colombo in what was then British Ceylon. He was educated at St Thomas' College, before matriculating to Keble College, Oxford. There, he was a member of the Oxford University Cricket Club and made his debut in first-class cricket for the club against Gloucestershire at Oxford in 1958, with him making fifteen appearances in his debut season. In these, he took 41 wickets at an average of 20.07, with two five wicket hauls against the Free Foresters; his 8 for 72 in their second innings was to become his career best bowling figures. He made the same number of appearances for Oxford University in 1959, taking 50 wickets at an average of 26.02, with three five wicket hauls.

Despite this, his bowling performances for Oxford brought him to the attention of Hampshire, for whom he played in the latter half of the 1960 County Championship, making twelve first-class appearances. In these, he took 29 wickets at an average of 29.31, with best figures of 4 for 62. He did not feature for Hampshire in 1961, but did play seven final first-class matches for Oxford University. He took 149 wickets for Oxford, at an average of 25.25 and took seven five wicket hauls. As a batsman, he scored 926 runs at a batting average of 12.86 and a highest score of 40. Piachaud gained a blue in each of the four seasons in which he played for Oxford, by virtue of playing in The University Match against Cambridge University at Lord's. He would later represent Ceylon in one first-class cricket match, against a strong MCC side at Colombo in 1969; this marked his final first-class appearance. In his 71 appearances in first-class cricket, Piachaud took 205 wickets at an average of 24.73. As a batsman, he scored 1,037 runs at a batting average of 12.20.

In September 2018, he was one of 49 former Sri Lankan cricketers felicitated by Sri Lanka Cricket, to honour them for their services before Sri Lanka became a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Piachaud died at home on 2 April 2026, at the age of 89.