Board of Control for Cricket in India president Sharad Pawar [Images] on Wednesday expressed shock at the sudden death of Aussie media mogul Kerry Packer who passed away in sleep in the early hours of Tuesday in Sydney, Australia.

"Packer was a visionary who transformed the way the game was played worldwide," Pawar said in a statement in New Delhi.

"An influential media magnate and philanthropist, Packer was a fierce competitor who was known to be controversial sometimes but always generous.

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"As a broadcaster, he had the knack of knowing what viewers were thinking and this contributed to his enormous success in media and related enterprises.

"Cricket lovers in India acknowledge and will remember him for his passion for the game. The results of his painstaking effort to popularize the game are there for all of us to see."