Former England captain and respected commentator Tony Greig, one of the architects of cricket’s World Series revolution in the 1970s, has died at the age of 66 after suffering a heart attack at his Sydney home on Saturday.
Greig, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in October, was taken to a Sydney hospital but died at about 1:45 pm (0245 GMT).
“The staff of the emergency department worked on Mr Greig to no avail,” a spokesman at St Vincent’s hospital told local media. A larger-than-life figure standing 6ft 6in (1.98m), South Africa-born Greig played 58 tests for England from 1972-77 as a successful all-rounder, scoring 3,599 runs for a batting average of 40.43 and claiming 141 wickets. His biggest impact on the game, however, came after he joined forces with late Australian businessman Kerry Packer to set up the breakaway World Series Cricket (WSC) competition.
Media magnate Packer’s concept, aimed at securing cricket broadcast rights for his Channel Nine in Australia, shook up the game’s world order by pioneering limited overs matches played at night and turning cricketers into full-time professionals. Greig’s signature lent credibility to WSC and he played a key role in recruiting disaffected players to the controversial competition. “He influenced all those guys from overseas, certainly, and the West Indies to join World Series Cricket and it was great for cricket what he had done,” former Australia batsman Doug Walters, who played in the WSC competition, told Sky News.
“Greig was one of the great competitors of cricket … He was someone that really took the fight to Australia, but he took the fight to everybody. “Win, lose or draw he was the first guy in our dressing room with a couple of beers in his hands.” Greig’s recruitment to WSC’s cause put him at loggerheads with cricket’s conservative establishment and he was stripped of the England captaincy in 1977. His international career ended shortly after. A long-time resident Down Under, Greig later became a cricket commentator with Channel Nine, having been promised a “job for life” by Packer.
A combative and occasionally abrasive character, Greig’s booming voice and signature white hat featured on Australian television screens for over three decades, but his battle with cancer prevented him from taking his position behind the microphone for the current 2011/12 season.
Career of Greig
Former England cricket captain Tony Greig, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in October, died on Saturday after suffering a heart attack at his Sydney home.
Here is a run-down of his career:
n Born on Oct. 6, 1946 in Queenstown, South Africa to a Scottish father.
n He Started his first-class career for Sussex and prospered as an all-rounder.
n He made his test debut for England in the home Ashes series against Australia in 1972 at Manchester.
n A towering figure at 6ft-6in (1.98m), Greig played 58 tests for England, scoring 3,599 runs at an average of 40.43.
n He scored eight test hundreds and 20 fifties.
n He also took 141 test wickets at an average of 32.20.
n Greig played 22 ODIs, scoring 269 runs and taking 19 wickets.
n Equally proficient against pace and spin, the right-handed batsman captained England in 14 tests but his international career lasted just five years.
n He played his last test against Australia at The Oval in August 1977 and was subsequently dropped for his role in helping late Australian business tycoon Kerry Packer set up the World Series Cricket.
n Greig, along with former Australia captain Ian Chappell, was one of the key players and recruiters of the rebel series which shook international cricket in the late 1970s.
n A noted cricket pundit known for his strong opinions, Greig later settled down in Australia and became a popular voice as a commentator for Channel Nine’s international cricket coverage, among a number of roles in the media.
n He was easily recognisable in the commentary box due to his booming voice and big hat.
n Diagnosed with lung cancer in October 2012
n Died at the age of 66 in Sydney on Dec. 29.
