Former Marylebone Cricket Club and South Australia Cricket Association chief executive Keith Bradshaw has died at the age of 58.
Bradshaw, one of the architects of day-night Test cricket, died of cancer.
The widely respected administrator, who played 25 first-class and nine one-day games for his state of birth Tasmania before shifting focus to off-field matters, was first diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2008.
Bradshaw was living in the UK at the time, having become the first non-English official to be appointed secretary and chief executive officer of the powerful MCC in 2006.
Bradshaw returned home to oversee the SACA in 2012, successfully lobbying for Adelaide Oval to host the inaugural day-night Test in 2015 as his health ailed.
The format proved an instant hit, and the venue has become synonymous with pink-ball cricket in recent years.
The innovation has also been embraced in women's cricket in Australia during recent years, while several other nations have followed Cricket Australia's lead and hosted men's day-night Tests.
"He could be a tough negotiator when fighting for the SACA cause, yet always treating people with respect and commanding that from others," SACA president Andrew Sinclair said.
"His demeanour was one of quietly, efficiently and enthusiastically completing tasks assigned to him. He frequently talked of surrounding himself with a great team.
"An extraordinary fighter through his considerable health challenges."
Cricket Australia chair Richard Freudenstein noted Bradshaw's death 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 understated. His legacy is an ongoing testament to a lifetime of achievement in the game," Freudenstein 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."
