Tony Cozier- The voice of cricket

Tony Cozier has been widely hailed as the best commentator in the business

In 1965, Australia made their trip to the Caribbean to take on the then-powerhouses of cricket, the West Indies. This being one of the most storied rivalries in cricket, the Caribbean Publishers and Broadcasters Association put together a commentary team in each of the West Indian cricketing islands.

For Barbados, it happened to be the man who quite easily went onto being recognized for his boundless works. For nearly fifty years since, this man stands strong. His repute is invincible, second to none. One of the greatest faces of modern cricket, Tony Cozier is in action during the tri-series features Sri Lanka, India and the host nation, the West Indies.

The West Indies were insurmountable forces of cricket till the late 80s. Following their decline in the 90s to becoming a mediocre team in the 2000s – the dominance and fall of West Indies cricket has been consistently covered by Tony Cozier. And he is still there to cover the resurgence of cricket in the island nations now.

Is there anything stopping this 72-year-old man? Quite possibly – NO!

Cozier was born to notable cricket journalist, Jimmy Cozier, who worked as the publisher of the St Lucia Voice. He went onto pursue his collegiate studies in Carleton University, Ottawa. But after an unaccustomed stay there, he returned to the Caribbean to begin his coverage on cricket. He went straight to work at the newspaper, Barbados Daily News – the founder of which was his father. A successful stint on Radio 610 news followed where he received his first shot to publicity, covering the Barbados team in Trinidad.

In 1963, the West Indies, captained by Frank Worrell, travelled to England. Tony Cozier understood that the Daily News would not be able to afford his trip across the Atlantic. But it didn’t halt his passion to cover West Indies cricket as he decided to eventually travel and stay in several YWCA shelters. The times were hard but Crozier prevailed for his love of cricket.

He developed connections in England and became close friends with many cricketers. The Windies dressing room had a mainstay apart from the players and Tony Cozier could go in as comfortable as he felt.