Former Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) board chairman Alwyn Pichanick, who was 84 years old, died in Australia yesterday morning after a long battle with cancer.
Alwyn’s son David announced the passing-on of his father on social media yesterday.
“Today is a sad day for many. A great father, friend and mentor has left us. I was privileged to have a father who put everyone ahead of himself in every way every day. Thank you so much for the pleasure,” David wrote on Facebook.
While Test status was achieved after he had left the organisation, Pichanick is credited with playing a key role in the development.
Before Independence, Pichanick worked as a national selector before he became president in 1976.
He retired in 1990 with Dave Ellman Brown taking over and two years later, Zimbabwe got Test status.
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After a four-year stint as a Member of Parliament, Pichanick became the first chairman of the Sports and Recreation Commission in 1991, an appointment that bears testimony to his reputation as a respected administrator beyond cricket circles.
ZC chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani, in his tribute to Pichanick, described his death as a massive loss to the nation.
“It is with great sadness that we have learnt of the passing of Alwyn Pichanick, a respected cricket leader who gave more than half his life to the game. We will forever be grateful for his enormous contributions to our game,” he said.
“His influence extended beyond cricket and ZC is certainly honoured and fortunate to have benefited from his visionary leadership and hard work.
“On behalf of the ZC board, management, players and staff, I would like to pass our heartfelt condolences to Pichanick’s loving wife, Bryony, his family, friends and entire nation on the loss of the great man. You are all in our thoughts and we pray that you find strength and courage to get through this difficult time. May his soul rest in peace.”
Dave Ellman-Brown, who worked closely with Pichanick for more than three decades, remembered the veteran administrator as a hard-working and humble man who made a difference in the lives of many.
“Al was a wonderful and very modest man who gave so much to the legal practice and cricket and indeed served with great credit,” he said.
“His dedication to the game of cricket is well-documented and he was well regarded internationally as an administrator. We did our bit together and all those years of toiling and pushing other countries to support us eventually saw us gaining our Test status.”
Pichanick’s funeral is set for this Friday, October 13, in Buderim, near Brisbane in Australia.