Melbourne, Keith Bradshaw, chief executive of the South Australia Cricket Association (SACA) and former chief executive officer (CEO) of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) passed away at 58, here on Tuesday.
Bradshaw was battling multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer, for more than a decade while performing his duties at MCC and SACA.
He was instrumental in the development of day-night cricket. The Adelaide Oval ground in South Australia becoming the first venue to host a pink ball Test is an example for the same.
Bradshaw was the CEO of SACA since November 2011. He also served as a Secretary and CEO of the MCC since his appointment in 2006. He played 25 first-class matches for Tasmania between 1984 and 1988 as a middle-order batsman and scored two centuries in Sheffield Shield before retiring from cricket.
Cricket Australia's interim president Richard Freudenstein paid tribute to Bradshaw and said, "Although many within the cricket family were aware that Keith was battling a serious long-term illness, the news of his passing at such a young age is devastating for cricket and all who had the good fortune to know him.Keith's contribution to cricket in Australia and the UK cannot be underestimated. His legacy is a constant testament to the achievement of a lifetime in the sport."
Richard said, “His great skill as a cricket administrator was to be an innovator yet appreciate and understand the importance of tradition. He had the clearest of vision when it came to strategy and yet the lightest of touch when it came to empowering his staff to carry it out."
“He fought his long-term illness with courage and fortitude, and despite whatever he was going through, he always had a smile and lots of time for everyone he met," Richard concluded.