• 1945-2013

Christopher Martin-Jenkins dies aged 67

Christopher Martin-Jenkins was involved in the media for more than 40 years © Getty Images

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Christopher Martin-Jenkins, the cricket commentator, journalist and former MCC president, has died at the age of 67. He had been diagnosed with cancer in January last year.

Martin-Jenkins, born in Peterborough, joined the BBC in 1970 after a period with the Cricketer magazine which he joined straight from university and would later return to edit between 1981 and 1991.

He became an integral part of the Test Match Special commentary team from the early 1970s until his ill-health forced him to step back in 2012 and for a period in the 1980s was part of the television team. He was the BBC's cricket correspondent in two spells from 1973 to 1980 and 1985 to 1991.

He was also a huge figure in the newspaper industry as cricket correspondent for the Daily Telegraph between 1991 and 1999 before moving to the Times where he held the same position until 2008 before handing over to Michael Atherton.

He continued to contribute to the paper until as recently as Monday, when he wrote about the death of Tony Greig: "It was probably for him a merciful release because the late stage of any cancer is often hell on earth."

Martin-Jenkins was awarded an MBE in 2009 and stood as the MCC president in 2010-11. Shortly after his illness was diagnosed, he released his memoir, CMJ: A Cricketing Life.

Tributes from colleagues and former players were quick to appear on Twitter. Derek Pringle, now the Telegraph correspondent said: "Desperately sad to hear that CMJ has passed away. Always engaging company and a superb broadcaster and journalist he will be missed by many."

Adam Mountford, the current producer of TMS, posted: "A very sad day for all of us at Test Match Special. CMJ was quite simply one of the legendary characters of cricket writing and broadcasting."

Ian Botham posted: "Very sad to hear of the death of the 'Major'... Christopher Martin Jenkins. Our thoughts are with the family. A true gentleman."

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