Grayson Shillingford dies aged 65

Grayson Shillingford, the former West Indies fast bowler who played seven Tests between 1969 and 1972, has died aged 65 of cancer. Shillingford had been receiving treatment in Canada before returning to his native Dominica a month ago. He succumbed to the illness in Salisbury, in the country's west coast, early on Wednesday morning.

A brisk right-arm bowler with a peculiar outward-curving run up, Shillingford failed to establish himself in a West Indies side in transition in the late 1960s and early 1970s despite briefly being hailed as the successor to the legacy of Hall and Griffith. He was picked for the 1969 tour of England despite only making his first-class debut the previous winter and taking three wickets in three matches. He played against India in 1970-71 and New Zealand in 1971-72 but thereafter drifted out of the reckoning as Keith Boyce and Bernard Julien established themselves. He ended his Test career with 15 wickets at 35.80. He continued playing domestic cricket for the Windward Islands and latterly for the Combined Islands until 1978-79.

Julian Hunte, the WICB president, said Shillingford was a pioneer and a true ambassador for his country and the region. Hunte added that he was a hero to many people in his native Dominica and throughout the Windwards.

"He was one of those cricketers who had a passion for the game and served his country, the sub-region and the entire Caribbean proudly," Hunte said. "He gave his all on the field and was respected and admired. He was totally dedicated and committed and gave a whole-hearted effort every time he took the field.

"Off the field, he made an excellent contribution to the development of the game and helped to chart the framework for the advancement of the game in his homeland as well as the Windward Islands. He was a hero for many young men who grew up in Dominica and were fortunate enough, like he was, to play at a higher level. We hope that Shillingford's shining example would be used by others to take the game forward."

The president and CEO of the West Indies Players Association Dinanath Ramnarine hailed Shillingford as "a model cricketer who displayed all those fine qualities both on and off the field that added luster to the game."