Christopher Martin-Jenkins dies of cancer at the age of 67 - The Guardian

Christopher Martin-Jenkins, one of the foremost journalists and commentators in the history of cricket, has died, aged 67.

Martin-Jenkins was diagnosed with cancer in January 2012. His passing, following so swiftly from that of the former England captain and fellow commentator Tony Greig, makes for a bleak start to the New Year for lovers of the game across the country and around the world.

Unlike Greig, Martin-Jenkins was no great shakes as a cricketer himself, the peak of his career being an innings of 99 scored as a boy for Marlborough college in a match against Rugby at Lord's. But he loved the sport so much that he refused to be deterred by his lack of talent for playing it.

Martin-Jenkins – known as CMJ – was hugely respected as a journalist, commentator, and administrator. In 2007 he became the only career journalist and broadcaster to deliver the annual Marylebone Cricket Club Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture, an honour that ranked him alongside the likes of Desmond Tutu, Imran Khan, and Richie Benaud. In 2009 he was awarded an MBE, and in 2010 and 2011 he served as the president of the MCC, which owns Lord's.

Born in Peterborough, Martin-Jenkins joined the BBC in 1970 after a spell working at the Cricketer magazine under EW Swanton, one of his predecessors as cricket correspondent of the Daily Telegraph.

Martin-Jenkins became an integral part of the BBC's Test Match Special team. On air he was a straight-man to the likes of Brian Johnston, Henry Blofeld, and, in later years, Jonathan Agnew. Martin-Jenkins could be relied upon to deliver the little essentials of the game to the listeners, such as the score and the state of play, while the others indulged in typical TMS chitchat about pigeons, cakes and buses. That was the legacy of the journalistic discipline Swanton installed in him.

Off air, however, he was an altogether more scatty figure than his nickname of "The Major" suggested, and was famous for his poor timekeeping and occasional habit of turning up at the wrong cricket ground on the morning of the match.

"He was one of cricket's most respected writers and broadcasters," said Agnew, his successor as BBC correspondent. "With modern media now preferring the views and experiences of former Test cricketers, Christopher's authority and respect was gained not through a high-profile playing career but a deep-rooted love of the game. It's doubtful if anyone has contributed more in a lifetime to the overall coverage of cricket than Christopher Martin-Jenkins."

Former England captain Ian Botham described him as "a true gentleman", which is testament to the high regard in which Martin-Jenkins was held, as Botham was never the quickest to give credit to journalists who hadn't played the game at the top level.

Mike Griffith, the MCC president, said: "CMJ will be sorely missed … As a commentator and journalist he was passionate about upholding the values of the game and always expressed his views with clarity and humour. Everyone at MCC shares the sadness now being felt by the cricketing world that his live commentaries will never be heard again."

Martin-Jenkins worked as a cricket correspondent for the BBC between 1973 and 1980 and again from 1985 until 1990, as well as for the Daily Telegraph between 1990 and 1999 and the Times between 1999 and 2008. Few have held so many prestigious titles in the media.

More than any of that however, Martin-Jenkins took enormous pride and satisfaction from the fact that his son Robin – who survives him along with his two siblings James and Lucy and his wife, Judy – had such a successful career as a first class cricketer for Sussex.

Martin-Jenkins was forced to step down from Test Match Special last year due to his illness, but it did not stop him from continuing to watch the game or from writing about it for the Times right up to the final days of his life. In his final published piece (subscription), reflecting on the death from a heart attack of his fellow cancer-sufferer Greig, Martin-Jenkins observed that "it was probably for him a merciful release because the late stage of any cancer is often hell on earth".