The Voice Of West Indies Cricket Is No More

Tony Cozier at ‘Cricket World Cup 2007 Bangladesh v West Indies at Kensington Oval on April 19, 2007 (Photo by Patrick Eagar/Patrick Eagar via Getty Images)

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Thurs. May 12, 2016: The man known for decades to many as ‘the voice of West Indies cricket’ is no more.

Winston Anthony Lloyd Cozier, known to the cricketing world as simply Tony Cozier, passed away Wednesday in his native land of Barbados, according to the West Indies Cricket Board. He was 75.

Cozier’s career as a cricket commentator spanned almost six decades. He was a member of the Wanderers Cricket Club, where he played cricket alongside Test players Geoffrey Greenidge and Richard Edwards, as well as the late Peter Short, former President of the WICB.

Cozier went on to report on all major events in world cricket during that period and was globally-respected for his outstanding work as a journalist, writer, historian, radio commentator and television analyst.

He was also the editor and publisher of the West Indies Cricket Annual for over 20 years and the Red Stripe Caribbean Cricket Quarterly for a decade. He wrote for several publications in the Caribbean and was a contributor to the Wisden Cricket Almanack.

The West Indies Cricket Board also paid tribute to Cozier as did The Caribbean Sports Journalists’ Association (CASJA).

“Tony brought Caribbean identity among a list of elite cricket voices including Christopher Martin-Jenkins, Henry Blofeld, John Arlott, Joseph “Reds” Perreira, Bryan Waddle, Fred Trueman, Jim Maxwell, Geoffrey Boycott and Jonathan Agnew, to name a few,” CASJA president Michael Bascombe said yesterday in paying tribute to Cozier.  “Cozier made an invaluable contribution to the Caribbean media and especially to the game of cricket.”

Cozier is survived by his wife Jillian, his son Craig, his daughter Natalie and other family and friends.