Photo Credit: Pakistan Cricket Board
As the Proteas took to the field for the Boxing Day test match today, Cricket South Africa joins the cricketing world in mourning the loss of Robin David Jackman (1945-2020). Jackman, a county and England test cricketer was especially known here for his legendary cricket commentary.
His distinctive voice took us through the highs and lows of cricket over decades.
Born in Shimla India on 13 August 1945, the family returned to Surrey, England in 1946. Jackman, schooled in Canterbury went on to play in four Tests and 15 one-day internationals for England, while he took 1,402 wickets in a 399-game first-class career between 1966 and 1982.
He eventually settled in South Africa with his wife, Yvonne, a nurse from Grahamstown.
In South Africa, ‘Jackers’ as he was affectionately known, was a household voice for all who loved and followed cricket. Always passionate and knowledgeable, he was also known for his big-hearted enjoyment of life. In 2012 he was diagnosed with cancer of the vocal chords. He continued commentating for a while and was also very actively involved in fundraising for the Mercy Ships and Grace Vision.
His passing, a few days after the death of his former Surrey team-mate, John Edrich, leaves a void in the cricketing world but particularly in South African cricketing life. We mourn the loss of a fine man, a lover of life, a cricket aficionado and a commentator who became part of the fabric of South African cricket in so many ways.
RIP, Jackers.
