Twitter reacts after England's Ashes hero Bob Willis passes away

One of England cricket's biggest names, former captain and fearsome pacer Bob Willis passed away in Sunderland on Wednesday, aged 70. Willis, who succumbed to thyroid cancer, was survived by his wife Lauren, daughter Katie, brother David and sister Ann.

Willis played in 90 Test matches with his most memorable performance coming in the third Ashes Test in 1981 where he took eight for 43 in the second Australian innings.

The news had the whole of cricketing fraternity heartbroken with many offering their condolences for the "true great" Willis on Twitter.

International Cricket Council (ICC) Chief Executive Manu Sawhney besides releasing a statement to the media had the banner of the world body changed to a picture of Willis. He said, "His contribution to the game will be remembered for a long time."

BCCI president and former India skipper Sourav Ganguly wrote: "So sad at the news of bob Willis .. may his soul rest in peace .. love to his entire family @bcci @SkyCricket @nassercricket .. india Will miss a stalwart .."

Ace Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin tweeted out saying he missed out on seeing Willis live in action. "I wasn’t fortunate enough to see him bowl but loved his sense of humour and insights on the game. Heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Bob Willis. #RIPBobWillis," he tweeted.

Former Proteas paceman Allan Donald talked about how he would listen to stories about the sport back in the days as narrated by Willis. "Just saw the news on Bob Willis and very sad indeed. Had the pleasure of working with him for @SkyCricket and off air I just loved listening to his great stories on how they played the game back in the day. RIP Great man #onceabearalwaysabear."

Former India International and IPL side Sunrisers Hyderabad mentor VVS Laxman offered his condolences, saying: "Saddened at the news of the passing away of #BobWillis. Heartfelt condolences to his family and friends."

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) president Kumar Sangakkara tweeted:

Windies legend Brian Lara too tweeted out a picture of "one of the greats of this beautiful game".