Glowing <i>not anymore</i>

What would have struck most colleagues, fans and even critics of his writing was Peter Roebuck's humility. He was of a different breed, one who never shied away from lending his important voice to issues ranging from Steve Waugh's frown to the more serious match-fixing saga.
A man who knew the ins and outs of cricket and loved the game immensely and better still, loved the English language comes about once in a generation. Roebuck, who died on Sunday aged 55, was one of those rare writers who brought a sense of realism to the game and those individuals who make all the moves with the bat and ball. His books, most prominently “It Never Rains” and “Sometimes I Forgot To Laugh”, stories from his days as a Somerset player and captain in the English county circuit, are considered some of the game's most stimulating pieces of work.
Roebuck's standing in world cricket and his understanding of the global nature of the sport meant that his fans span far and wide, including among many fellow journalists and colleagues. He had a quiet following in the sub-continent but it turned into mass popularity after his bold stance on the Sydney Test saga of 2008, Roebuck demanding Ricky Ponting's sacking; it split opinions but ultimately, it was what the world thought of the Australian captain at that time.
Given his residence in Australia and closeness to the game Down Under, Roebuck was The Daily Star Sport's obvious choice to write the preview for Ponting's men ahead of this year's Cricket World Cup. Roebuck, to our surprise, immediately agreeing to our invitation to write for Roar, replying, “Apologies for the late response, that is not my custom but it has been hectic of late not least with travelling back and forth from Perth. Thanks for the invitation and compliments. I am indeed eager to come to your country for the first time and spend as long as possible therein. Regarding the Australian preview, I think I can oblige. Will send 750 by the date defined in your letter.”
The Daily Star is the only newspaper in Bangladesh where he has written a piece exclusively and it was one accurate piece. He was probably the first to elucidate that Australia's weakness would open up the tournament, as he had written in the piece titled, “Against the tide”.
After the success of Roar, Roebuck congratulated the Daily Star Sport, but also sounded fretful of his impending stay in Dhaka: “Friends! Greetings and hope the preview magazine is glowing! Am in the dark about local hotels, don't like all these posh and plush European ones nor do the accounts department! Any suggestions?”
Having been presented with the publication at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur the day before the Pakistan-West Indies quarterfinal, Roebuck took a look at Roar and spotted sports writers such as Pakistan's Osman Samiuddin and England's Lawrence Booth as contributors.
Instantly, he said with genuine regard, “I can see I'm in great company here.”

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Recently deceased renowned cricket writer Peter Roebuck's article on Australia for The Daily Star's 2011 World Cup magazine Roar, which appeared in February this year.