John Edrich, Robin Jackman pass into the ages

Former England fast bowler and cricket commentator Robin Jackman has died at the age of 75, the ICC said on Friday.

'We are saddened to learn about the death of legendary commentator and former England bowler Robin Jackman who has passed away aged 75,' the ICC tweeted.

'The thoughts of the cricketing world go out to his family and friends during this difficult time.'

Jackman -- who was born in Simla -- played for Surrey for 16 seasons from 1966-1982 and picked up more than 1,400 first class wickets, but he played only four Tests for England, making his debut when he was 35.

He also played for Western Province in South Africa and married a South African.

His links with the country in the apartheid era led to a cancelled Test between England and the West Indies in Guyana, as the team stood by him and refused to play when the Guyanese government ordered his deportation.

He settled in South Africa following his retirement, trading the cricket ball for the microphone, and he went on to become a popular commentator.

In 2012, Jackman was diagnosed with cancer having already had surgeries to remove malignant tumours from his vocal cords.

Jackman's death came hours after former England and Surrey batsman John Edrich died at the age of 83.

Edrich, who scored more than 100 first-class centuries, died at the age of 83, the England and Wales Cricket Board said.

Edrich scored more than 5,000 runs for England during a 77-match Test career, including 12 centuries. The former Surrey captain notched 103 hundreds and more than 39,000 runs in first-class cricket.

'With John's passing, we've lost a prolific and fearless batsman -- one of the select few who have scored more than 5,000 runs for England,' ECB CEO Tom Harrison said in a statement.

'His duels with some of the world's best fast bowlers were legendary, and it's a testament to his ability that his 310 not out against New Zealand in 1965 remains the fifth highest Test score by an English batsman.'

'He will be sadly missed, and our thoughts are with his family and friends.'

Edrich made his Test debut against the West Indies in 1963, ending his career at the highest level against the same opposition in 1976.

'Very sad news today to wake up on Christmas Day and to be told that John Edrich has passed away!!,' Ian Botham tweeted.

'A wonderful man who I was lucky enough to spend some quality time with... RIP.'

Former England and Surrey batsman Mark Butcher tweeted: 'A test triple-centurion and @surreycricket legend. #RIP'.

Edrich played in the first-ever one-day international, against Australia at Melbourne in 1971, hitting the first boundary, making the first half-century and being named man-of-the-match.