Agencies
Trinidad, May 12: Tony Cozier, who became the voice of West Indies cricket over more than half a century writing and broadcasting on the game, died Wednesday morning in his native Barbados according to a release by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). He was 75.
“He represented West Indies wherever he went,” read a WICB tribute. “He educated people around the world about our cricket, our people, our culture and who we are. His voice was strong and echoed around the cricket world. He enjoyed West Indies victories and shared the pain when we lost.”
The ICC contributed to a flood of tributes from around the cricket world. “Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Tony Cozier. One of the truly great voices of cricket. A huge loss for the cricket community,” the ICC said on Twitter.
Tributes also flowed in from other parts of the world. From Michael Holding to Virender Sehwag – all said that cricket had lost one of its luminaries.
“First of all we have to appreciate that this is a very, very sad day. Not just for West Indian cricket, but for Tony’s entire family,” said Holding, whose autobiography ‘Whispering Death’ was co-authored by Cozier.
Current West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo wrote on his twitter handle, “What a sad day for cricket, especially WI cricket, and the fans. RIP Mr Cozier. Gone but you will never be forgotten.” Former India opener Virender Sehwag said, “Tony Cozier for me you were champagne on air.” A similar thought was echoed by Sanjay Manjrekar who stated, “Deeply saddened that one of my favourite persons in the world of cricket media has passed away. RIP Tony Cozier.”
