( CNN ) -- Christopher Martin-Jenkins , whose commentary for BBC Radio 's Test Match Special for more than four decades made him one of cricket 's most respected journalists , died Tuesday of cancer . He was 67 . His death on New Year 's Day comes three days after the passing of another cricket great : former England captain Tony Greig on Saturday of a heart attack while fighting cancer . In his last piece for The Times -- published one day before his own death -- Martin-Jenkins called the South Africa-born bowler 's courage under pressure one of his `` greatest attributes . '' He also called the last stage of any cancer `` hell on earth . '' Read about the passing of cricket 'revolutionary ' Greig . With Martin-Jenkins ' own death , `` cricket has lost one of its greatest champions , '' said England and Wales Cricket Board ( ECB ) Chairman Giles Clarke in a statement Tuesday . `` Christopher -- or CMJ -- as he was universally known was quite simply a cricketing institution , '' ECB chief executive David Collier added . Martin-Jenkins was cricket correspondent for the BBC from 1973-1991 , with a break between 1981 and 1984 . In 1981 he began a decade as editor at The Cricketer magazine . He then became cricket correspondent for the Daily Telegraph from 1991-1999 and for The Times from 1999-2008 . In 2007 Martin-Jenkins became in 2007 the first -- and so far only -- career journalist to deliver the Marylebone Cricket Club ( MCC ) Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture . The distinction had always been reserved for cricketers . Three years later he became president of the cricket club , a post he held until 2011 , another rare honor . Martin-Jenkins ' services to sport were cited when he was awarded Member of the Order of the British Empire ( MBE ) in 2009 . Among remembrances , Scyld Berry of The Telegraph called Martin-Jenkins ' knowledge of cricket `` encyclopedic , '' and Mike Selvey of The Guardian wrote that the initials `` CMJ '' were `` synonymous with the very best in cricket journalism , both spoken and written , '' and that `` the game has lost perhaps the best friend it ever had . '' Martin-Jenkins , who was born in Peterborough , England , on January 20 , 1945 , is the author of several books , including `` The Complete Who 's Who of Test Cricketers . '' He is survived by his wife of more than 40 years , Judy ; and their children , James , Lucy and Robin , a former cricketer for Sussex .
Martin - Jenkins ' death comes three days after that of cricket great Alan Greig . He was cricket correspondent for BBC , Daily Telegraph , The Times and editor of The Cricketer . He was president of Marylebone Cricket Club from 2009 - 11 . Martin - Jenkins is being remembered as ` ` the very best '' in cricket journalism .