Latest update April 23rd, 2024 12:59 AM
May 12, 2016 Sports
An irreplaceable loss to cricket broadcasting
Says Sean Devers
On June 10, 1940 Winston Anthony Lloyd “Tony” Cozier made his entry into this world and died yesterday morning at the age of 75 leaving a huge hole in the West Indies cricket media which would be difficult to fill.
The veteran cricket journalist was admitted to a hospital in Barbados on May 3 for tests related to infections in the neck and legs and eventually succumbed to a prolonged period of illness.
Cozier was West Indies’ most revered Radio and TV commentator and cricket journalist, ultimately changing the image of cricket coverage in this part of the World with his calm and eloquent description of shots from Sobers to Chanderpaul.
Born in Bridgetown to Journalist Jimmy Cozier, the Managing Editor of the St Lucia Voice and Founder of the Barbados Daily News, Cozier, like a duck takes to water, naturally gravitated to Journalism. His son Craig also writes on cricket and is a statistician for TV networks covering International matches.
Cozier, a ‘white Bajan’ represented Barbados as a Hockey Goalkeeper and played a bit of cricket at the club level. He got into cricket commentary in 1958 and did his first International game in 1965 when West Indies played Australia.
Cozier worked for BBC’s Test match special, Channel 9 in Australia and Sky Sports and was the voice of cricket for the West Indies. He was later joined by another West Indian Broadcasting icon, Joseph ‘Reds’ Perreira, as the only Caribbean voices when West Indies played overseas in the early days.
Cozier narrated ‘50 years of West Indies cricket’ on VOB and was Editor for West Indies Cricket Annual for 22 years.
The press booth at the Kensington Oval is named after him and in 2011 he was awarded an honorary life member of the MCC for his outstanding contributions to cricket.
During his last days as a writer he was very unhappy with the state of West Indies cricket and the manner in which it was managed by the WICB. He even contemplated suing WICB President Dave Cameron for suggesting he was blind as a reason for not being considered for TV work.
Cozier is a firm believer in standards and is the consummate professional. “Whatever happens off the field is reflected on the field or in a work place. For instance let’s take the dress code. ‘Doesn’t matter, they only need to be dressed when they go on the field. When they are off the field, they’re young people they would want to dress in the modern way’. Even if it means dressing in arm-hole shirts and looking rugged, not cutting their hair and so on,” Cozier once lamented.
“But yet why has the Police force got uniforms? Banks, you name it, so many areas where you are uniformed because you are part of a team off the field as well. When you are not in a team environment, it’s your business. But when you are travelling with the West Indies team, when you’re in the team – and the team is not only on the field and that’s a big problem we have, the team off the field – in hotels, travelling in the team bus, showing themselves to the world not only on the ground but off it,” Cozier stressed, not so long ago.
This writer fell in love with cricket commentary as a nine-year old from listening to a transistor Radio hidden under my pillow in the wee hours of the mornings when Cozier and Reds described the action for Australia.
It was a great honour when, much later, I was privileged to meet the icon and work with him in the commentary booth and to listen his advice. I unconsciously pattered my cricket writings after him.
If had three words to describe Cozier they would be professional, informative and compassionate.
My one lasting memory of the great man had nothing to do with cricket. When I had to do a brain surgery in 2012 Cozier organised a telethon to raise funds on a Barbados Radio station. Reds and Andrew Mason were the others involved in that act which helped me to be here today instead of dead.
May his soul rest in peace he will be greatly missed by the West Indian cricket media.
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