After I had met Tony Greig a few times, the question had to be asked. Why? Why what? Why such a distance between the public provocateur and the gentle, courteous, even scholarly private man? He didn't mind being asked.

With a crinkling smile he shrugged and said something like, ''All part of the show''.

In Tony Greig's passing, it is easier to think of a great character actor than a conventional sportsman. With actors, we're not surprised by the gap between persona and person. I didn't know Tony even remotely well, but those who did described him as a warm, companionable man and an extremely funny storyteller, with the invariable rider: ''And he's nothing like you'd expect.''