Obituary: Tony Greig; Sporting great who sacrificed England captaincy to launch World Series Cricket

TONY Greig was a South Africa-born cricketer who became England captain and later continued to make his mark on the game as a revered commentator.

Greig was initially diagnosed with bronchitis in May, but the condition lingered and in October he had tests that revealed he had lung cancer. He died on Saturday after suffering a heart attack at his home in Sydney.

On Saturday, he suffered a heart attack at his Sydney home.

Born in Queenstown in South Africa, Greig qualified to play cricket for England through his Scottish parents. He trialled for Sussex in 1965 as a teenager and set himself the goal of representing England. He made his Test debut against Australia at Old Trafford in 1972, making half-centuries in both innings and taking five wickets for the game. He first captained England in a Test against Australia in 1975.

A confident and occasionally abrasive character, Greig revelled in the on-field contest – at times stirring up crowds, such as during the 1974-75 Ashes series.

Standing 6ft 6in with a shock of blond hair, Greig was an imposing and charismatic figure whose strong performances and ability to bond the team earned him the England captaincy. He played 58 Tests for England – 14 as captain – and scored 3,599 runs at an average of 40.43 and took 141 wickets at 32.20.

“He was a giant of a man who played a major role in the changing face of cricket during the 1970s,” said David Collier, the chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Greig was a key figure in recruiting international players for Australian millionaire Kerry Packer’s anti-establishment World Series Cricket, which began in 1977, abruptly ending his England Test career.

“When the enterprise was made public, his stocks plummeted,” cricket writer Gideon Haigh wrote on the cricinfo website. “He lost not just England’s captaincy, but what would have been a record-breaking benefit.

“He was diminished, too, by his indifferent on-field performances in World Series Cricket, where he seemed to cast himself as pantomime villain. Nonetheless, subsequent generations of professional cricketers owe him a debt of gratitude.”

Although Greig’s reputation was forged in England and Australia, South Africans still consider him one of their own. He represented South African Schools and played first-class provincial cricket for Border and Eastern Province before seeking success in England.

In the 1980s, Greig joined the commentary team for Australia’s Nine Network and his decades behind the microphone made him an institution in the country’s sporting life.

Former Australia captain Bill Lawry was known for his on-air banter with Greig – and their fame as a commentary pairing perhaps even eclipsed their on-field achievements.

“Kerry Packer and Greigy got World Series Cricket, but he is the guy who had the most to lose,” said Lawry. “He was prepared to give up the captaincy of England because he could see world cricket needed a change. He was a wonderful ambassador for the game of cricket.”