Factbox: Former England cricket captain Tony Greig

Former England cricket player Tony Greig (C) poses with members of the South African rugby union team in Sydney August 4, 2006.

REUTERS - Former England cricket captain Tony Greig, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in October, died on Saturday after suffering a heart attack at his Sydney home.

Here is a run-down of his career:

* Born on October 6, 1946 in Queenstown, South Africa to a Scottish father.

* He Started his first-class career for Sussex and prospered as an all-rounder.

* He made his test debut for England in the home Ashes series against Australia in 1972 at Manchester.

* A towering figure at 6ft-6in (1.98m), Greig played 58 tests for England, scoring 3,599 runs at an average of 40.43.

* He scored eight test hundreds and 20 fifties.

* He also took 141 test wickets at an average of 32.20.

* Greig played 22 ODIs, scoring 269 runs and taking 19 wickets.

* Equally proficient against pace and spin, the right-handed batsman captained England in 14 tests but his international career lasted just five years.

* He played his last test against Australia at The Oval in August 1977 and was subsequently dropped for his role in helping late Australian business tycoon Kerry Packer set up the World Series Cricket.

* Greig, along with former Australia captain Ian Chappell, was one of the key players and recruiters of the rebel series which shook international cricket in the late 1970s.

* A noted cricket pundit known for his strong opinions, Greig later settled down in Australia and became a popular voice as a commentator for Channel Nine's international cricket coverage, among a number of roles in the media.

* He was easily recognisable in the commentary box due to his booming voice and big hat.

* Diagnosed with lung cancer in October 2012

* Died at the age of 66 in Sydney on December 29. (Compiled by Sudipto Ganguly; Editing by Peter Rutherford)