Renowned sports journalist Dicky Rutnagur dies

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published 12 years ago

LONDON: Dicky Rutnagur, one of the reputed sports journalists and commentator, passed away June 21 in London aged 82, the Press Trust of India reports.

Rutnagur, (picture, left) who was born on February 28, 1931, covered 300 Tests in a fabulous career lasting half-a-century.

He was associated with the Hindustan Times between 1958 and 1966 as a cricket correspondent and moved to London in mid-60s where he not only covered county cricket but also wrote about squash and badminton for Daily Telegraph.

He also wrote two books - Test Commentary (India v England 1976-77) and Khans Unlimited (the history of squash in Pakistan).

Former India spinner Bishan Singh Bedi along with several Indian and British sports journalists paid rich tributes to Rutnagur on social media.

"Giant crkt writer/comentr Diky Rutnagur dies in Lon unsung-leaves behind rich Parsi culture Joyous crkt moments-RIP Dicky Boy-gr8 to know U!," Bedi tweeted.

Senior cricket journalist Ayayz Memon wrote, "Grand Old Man of cricket journalism (print and broadcast) has died in London. RIP."

Mike Walters, a senior sports reporter with Mirror, also tweeted remembering Rutnagur.  "RIP Dicky Rutnagur - one of the finest, nicest, funniest and most acerbic (often in the same sentence) county cricket scribes," Walters tweeted.

BBC News Commentator Edward Bevan also paid tribute to the departed soul.
"Saddened to hear of the death of Dicky Rutnagur- a press box colleague for many years-when county cricket was properly covered," he wrote.

Mike Selvey, a former England cricketer and now a journalist, wrote: "So sorry to hear of death of Dicky Rutnagur. Many facets of journalism and one of the best of the old school. V kind to me when I started."

Howard Harding, a well-known figure in the world of squash, tweeted,"Dicky Rutnagur: One of the last great British national newspaper squash correspondents. RIP.” - PTI