Renowned Caribbean cricket commentator passes

West Indies cricket has lost one its most renowned voices after acclaimed commentator Tony Cozier passed away in his home country of Barbados on Wednesday morning at the age of 75  after an illness. Cozier was admitted to hospital on May 3 for tests related to infections in the neck and legs.

Influenced by his father who was a journalist, Cozier began writing on cricket as a teenager in 1958.

But he became a household name and transitioned from radio to television and print through his work with major media organisations throughout the world, including the BBC, Channel 9 and Sky. It was estimated that Cozier was among the most prolific watchers of test cricket anywhere.

Wisden in 2003 reported that he had watched 266 tests in his 40-odd years of covering the game up to that point.

Players, commentators, administrators, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) and the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) of which Cozier was a Hall of Famer, all offered glittering tributes on Wednesday.