International Cricket Council president Percy Sonn, who has died aged 57, will be remembered as an able administrator and a firebrand who sometimes spoke his mind too freely for his own good.
When former South African captain Hansie Cronje was banned for life for his involvement inmatchfixing in 2000, Sonn said Cronje "won't even be allowed to play beach cricket". The comment was a key factor in Cronje's decision to fight his ban in court. Cronje, who died in a plane crash in 2002, lost his case.
Sonn was a major figure in the racial unification of South African cricket and served as president of the United Cricket Board from 2000 to 2003. His tenure as ICC president was marked most prominently by former test umpire Darrell Hair's fall from grace in August 2006 and former Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer's death during this year's World Cup.
