Tony Cozier tributes from around the world

17th May 2016

The Mason & Guests Show

From around the world the tributes have poured in, and continue to appear, for the Caribbean’s greatest ever cricket writer and broadcaster, Tony Cozier.

He was the voice of cricket in the region, and for the region, and he died thirty-five years to the day after the Caribbean lost another of its greatest voices, Jamaica’s Bob Marley.

This son of Barbados elicited universal admiration, praise and love – and here is just a selection of the things said about him:

Michael Holding said he was “the doyen of West Indies cricket… he’s right up there with Garry Sobers.”

Clive Lloyd said he was “an iconic figure… a great man… the pen which wrote of our exploits.”

Viv Richards said “everything he touched where cricket is concerned was just marvellous.”

Joel Garner said “cricket is richer having been blessed by his excellent contribution.”

Darren Sammy said “that voice will be forever in my head.”

Reds Perreira said “an iconic loss, an iconic cricket voice… we will miss him more and more as the weeks and months go by because he is irreplaceable.”

Tony Becca said “I have never met a more decent man in my life.”

Fazeer Mohammed said “his body of work compiled over fifty years as a journalist, radio and television broadcaster is unparalleled… both in terms of quantity and exceptional quality.”

Sean Devers said “if I had three words to describe (him) they would be professional, informative and compassionate.”

Vaneisa Baksh said “Test cricket began for West Indies in 1928. For more than half its history, Tony Cozier was its voice.”

Zorol Barthley said he “kept the Caribbean fans informed, updated and represented during those long, dark nights from far-away places. We ‘watched’ our Test Matches on our radios through his voice.”

Noel Lynch said he was “the conscience of cricket in the region.”

Mike Atherton said “he was the best of the Caribbean: warm, funny, welcoming, hospitable and cool. Quick to laugh; slow to judge.”

Simon Hughes said he was “the finest man ever to inhabit a commentary box”.

Harsha Bhogle said he “adorned our game… (and) loved it like a child and a parent.”

Sambit Bal said “cricket was his way of life… his heart bled for West Indian cricket.”

Virender Sehwag said he was “champagne on air.”

Mike Selvey said he was “the manifestation of West Indies cricket.”

Mike Dickson said he had “a voice with a melodic lilt that brought to mind waves gently lapping on a Caribbean beach.”

And Greg Baum said “one of cricket’s most distinguished and distinct voices is now forever quiet, and that demands a minute of silence from us. In it, we might be able to hear him in the back of our minds one last time.”

That’s a fine idea.

David Oram

The Willow in the WIndies – innings no. 31

16th May 2016

The Caribbean cricket podcast

Episode 31 – Curtly Ambrose Sacked as Bowling Coach

Welcome to edition no. 31 of The Willow in the WIndies.

In this programme I was joined by Dr Andrew Forde, while Reds took a sabbatical following the death of his close friend and colleague, Tony Cozier.

Andrew is a regular panelist on the Mason & Guests cricket talk show in Barbados, and indeed he was one of the panellists on the recent ‘lively’ show that was the subject of the penultimate column by Tony Cozier. In that show, the BCA’s Conde Riley made comments about the involvement of the WIndies ‘Legends’ in the Caricom dispute – and they have since issued a response.

The biggest news of the week was the replacement of Curtly Ambrose as West Indies’ bowling coach by Roddy Estwick – and I wondered if there was any link back to the comments Franklyn Stephenson made about Curtly’s coaching skills earlier in the year? 

A Willow in the WIndies Xtra – Joseph ‘Reds’ Perreira pays tribute to Tony Cozier

14th May 2016

The Caribbean cricket podcast

Special Edition: An appreciation of Tony Cozier by Reds Perreira

Welcome to this extra edition of The Willow in the WIndies.

The West Indies lost its voice this week with the death of Tony Cozier.

His great friend and colleague in the radio commentary box of over forty years, Joseph ‘Reds’ Perreira joins me to recall Tony Cozier, and reflect on his unparalled contribution to Caribbean cricket.

You can listen to Reds’ tribute here.

David Oram

‘The voice of West Indies cricket sadly falls silent’ – my appreciation of Tony Cozier for First Post

12th May 2016

Patrolling the Boundary  – a view from the outfield

The Passing of Tony Cozier

Tony Cozier died on Wednesday at the age of 75. He was quite simply the Caribbean’s finest ever cricket writer and broadcaster, and was the chronicler of West Indies cricket for in excess of fifty years.

Here is my tribute to him for First Post.

David Oram

Tony Cozier tribute

11th May 2016

The Mason & Guests Show

The Caribbean’s greatest ever cricket writer and broadcaster has died aged 75. His loss will be felt not just in the West Indies, but throughout the world. In his home island, Barbados the national radio station VoB produced a special edition of the  Mason & Guests show to mark his passing – and I was asked to provide a brief recorded tribute to him. You can read it below and listen to it here:

The Caribbean has lost one of its true greats.

Tony Cozier was the trusted voice of cricket in the region for fifty years; he catalogued the West Indies’ rise to greatness, and fall from its pedestal. He was intelligent, insightful, analytical, critical and most of all honest.

For at least three generations of cricket lovers he told us what we needed to know about the region’s cricket, helped us to understand, to learn from the successes and failures and documented the modern history of the greatest sporting team the world has ever known.

His was the voice that brought us the news of triumphs and disasters, victories and defeats, glories and ignominies. Tony Cozier spoke to us in our living rooms, in our bedrooms, our kitchens, our cars, bars, and rum shops. We heard him everywhere – and we listened.

Tony Cozier could be heard on our televisions, on our radios and in our newspapers. He wrote books, columns for newspapers and in the modern age for websites too. He was the man we turned to to learn what was happening in West Indies cricket, both on and off the field.

We knew him, admired him and loved him. He communicated with us all, and did so like no other, either in the Caribbean or for that matter, the whole world.

His loss is profound. It’ll be felt not just in the region, but internationally. The tributes to him will pour in from all over, and be heartfelt and generous. He was popular, knowledgable and phenomenally professional. He will be missed throughout the entire cricketing community.

Tony Cozier was a man of the world, and of the West Indies, of Barbados and his beloved club, the Wanderers.

Charting the golden years of West Indies glory through to the modern age with its trials and tribulations, he unerringly and unflinchingly reported events as he saw them – with the skill of the great writer and broadcaster that he was, with an awareness and scholarly appreciation of the past, a journalistic astuteness of the present, and a view to the future.

He mapped for everyone the unfolding narrative of West Indies cricket, and never missed a ball. He had an eye for the nuance of events, and a keen listening ear – and he communicated it all to his listeners – providing both the bigger picture and the intimate detail.

Quite simply he was the greatest writer and broadcaster on the game the Caribbean has ever known. And as a multi-talented commentator for both television and radio he was without doubt the world’s finest.

It is fitting that the West Indies have once again been recently crowned, three times, as he passes – for it was he more than any other who brought us the story of the great days.

The Mason & Guests show pays tribute to Tony Cozier and sends prayers and condolences to his family and friends.

We will not see as a great a broadcaster as him ever again.

David Oram