West Indian cricket team in England in 1976 the West Indian get on top they are magnificent cricketers, but if they’re down, they grovel. And I intend, with the help of Closey and a few others, to make them grovel.” The insensitive comments only inflamed the racial and colonial implications surrounding the 1976 series. The remark was particularly provocative coming from Greig, the white South African-born captain of England. West Indian bowler, Michael Holding recalled how the comment “Smacked of racism and Apartheid. He got our backs up and made us more determined.” Greig claimed the word "grovel" was used only as a response to the way the
Tony Greig also asked the BCCI to abandon self-interest and "embrace the spirit of cricket and govern in the best interests of world cricket, not just for India and its business partners." Tony Greig is regarded fondly by Sri Lankan cricket fans. He would often take the opportunity to advertise the country as a tourist destination during his commentary. A thinly-veiled fictionalized version of Greig as a TV pundit living a rock star lifestyle behind the scenes appeared in the Gratiaen, Commonwealth and DSC South Asian Literature prize-winning novel "Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew" by Shehan Karunatilaka. Greig began to have