International Cricket Council President Percy Sonn, who was critically
ill for the past few days, died in Cape Town today.
Sonn, 57, was admitted to the Durbanville clinic in Cape Town on Monday after
developing complications from a colon surgery.
A former president of the South African cricket board,
Sonn took over as ICC president from Ehsan Mani of Pakistan
in June 2006.
His tenure, which was original to end in 2008, was extended till 2009 after
the Executive Board had a split vote between Indian Cricket Board chief
Sharad Pawar and ECB head David Morgan last year.
"Percy (Sonn) was never afraid to speak his mind but his
great skill, especially in meetings where discord was possible, was to do so
in such a way that he got everyone together and pulling in the same direction,"
ICC Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed said in a statement issued
by the ICC.
"Percy was utterly committed to the game at all levels
and his mantras were that the game had to be inclusive rather than exclusive
and that it had to be played the right way, to be true to the Spirit of Cricket."
Sonn's predecessor Mani said: "As a cricket administrator and a man, Percy
Sonn was a giant.
"In all the circles in which he moved, he commanded a
huge amount of respect and that was never more obvious than when he was in an
ICC Board meeting."
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