Cowdrey's death 'Bit of a Shock'

Former West Indies batting great Sir Clyde Walcott has expressed shock at the death of former cricketer and administrator, Lord Colin Cowdrey, who passed away yesterday at age 67.

"I heard of his death this [yesterday] morning. I knew he was not well, but I heard he was recovering so it was a bit of a shock to me," Sir Clyde told nationsport yesterday.

"He certainly made a great contribution to cricket as a player and as an administrator. I followed him as chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and he was very helpful to me, so it was very sad."

Lord Cowdrey served as ICC president from 1989 to 1993.

Though he made his debut about seven years before Lord Cowdrey, Sir Clyde remembered him as a very good player and strict disciplinarian.

"I think he was a firm believer in discipline, and in terms of administration, he was always endeavouring to get cricket rules changed which would bring about greater discipline among players," Sir Clyde said.

Lord Cowdrey, who was last in Barbados in May when he delivered a speech at a gala dinner in honour of Sir Garfield Sobers, suffered a stroke two months ago.

He played 114 Tests between 1954 and 1975, scoring 7 264 runs at an average of 44.06.