Cape Town - Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Saturday paid tribute to South African-born former England captain Tony Greig who passed away in Sydney, Australia, at the age of 66 after suffering a heart attack. He had been diagnosed with lung cancer three months ago.
Greig represented SA Schools as a product of Queen’s College in Queenstown and also played at first-class level for both Border and Eastern Province.
“Although we knew that Tony was battling a life-threatening disease courageously, news of his death has still come as a huge shock to his many friends and admirers in South Africa,” commented CSA Acting CEO Jacques Faul.
“His thoughtful and wise words as a lead TV commentator for the Channel Nine Network in Australia made him one of the most popular and instantly recognisable voices of cricket and he added greatly to the richness of our great game.
“There isn’t a single professional cricketer playing today who does not owe him a debt of gratitude for the role he played in the 1970s in vastly improving their working conditions and making professional cricket a viable and attractive career proposition.
“On behalf of the CSA family and all South African cricket fans I extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. It is a sad day for the world of cricket.”