Cricket legend Tony Greig dies

The Sydney-based Greig was initially diagnosed with bronchitis in May, but the condition lingered and in October he had tests that revealed a small lesion at the base of his right lung.

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

“He was rushed into St. Vincent's Hospital. The staff of the emergency department worked on Mr. Greig to no avail,” hospital spokesman David Faktort said.

Upon his return to Australia from the World Twenty20 tournament in Sri Lanka, he had fluid removed from the right lung and testing revealed the cancer.

“It's not good,” Greig said after the surgery. “The truth is I've got lung cancer. Now it's a case of what they can do.”

His wife, Vivian, said Saturday: “Our family wants to extend our gratitude for the support and condolences we have received and would ask for privacy at this very sad time.”

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

Standing 1.96 meters (6-foot-6) 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.

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

In the 1980s Greig became a high-profile member of the commentary team for Australia's Nine Network and his decades behind the microphone made him an institution in Australia's sporting life.

Nine described Greig as a “beloved” figure.

“Tony Greig is a name synonymous with Australian cricket — from his playing days as the English captain we loved to hate, to his senior role in the revolution of World Series Cricket, his infamous car keys in the pitch reports and more than three decades of colorful and expert commentary,” Nine said.

Greig's involvement in WSC caused an abrupt end to his international cricket 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.”

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