David Lloyd announces retirement from commentary after 22 years with Sky Sports

David Lloyd, the former England batter and coach, has announced his retirement from Sky Sports after 22 years working as a commentator.

Lloyd, 74, said that "the commentary box feels a little emptier" following the departure of three long-term colleagues in David Gower, Ian Botham and Michael Holding, and the passing of the late Bob Willis.

"I've decided the time is now right to pass on the microphone," Lloyd said in a statement. "It's been an immense privilege to try and bring the sport I love into people's homes up and down the country.

"Sharing a commentary box in Australia in 2013 with my broadcasting hero Bill Lawry was a real highlight. It has been a great pleasure to work alongside Ian Bishop, Ravi Shastri, Shane Warne, Shaun Pollock, and Ian Smith amongst many others.

"With the passing of Bob Willis and after the decision to move on by my good friends David Gower, Ian Botham and more recently, Michael Holding, the commentary box feels a little emptier. And so I feel it is time for me to do the same and move on to the next chapter.

"I leave the Sky box now in immensely capable hands led by my pals Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain, Ian Ward and Rob Key. To those that follow, cherish that mic. Inform and entertain, so the next generation can fall in love with this wonderful game."

Sky said in a statement that Lloyd had been "a star of the Sky Cricket commentary box for over two decades, with an extraordinary ability to inform and entertain in equal measure" and that he had played "a huge role helping Sky launch Twenty20, taking cricket to new audiences in 2003 - a format that has changed the sport forever".

Lloyd's retirement comes a month after he issued an apology to Azeem Rafiq over an exchange in which he had questioned Rafiq's personal life and made disparaging comments about the UK's Asian cricketing community.

"I deeply regret my actions, and I apologise most sincerely to Azeem and to the Asian cricket community for doing this, and for any offence caused," Lloyd had said. "I am strongly committed to making cricket a more inclusive sport.

"It is very obvious now that more work needs to be done and I will do everything I can to remove discrimination from the sport I love, and the sport that has been my life for over 50 years."

Sky said at the time that it was "committed to actively championing inclusion in cricket - and in all sports - and opposing all forms of discrimination" and that it would investigate Lloyd's comments.