He truly was a Jack of all trades. Jack Bannister, who has died at the age of 85, was involved somewhere within the cricketing fraternity for more than six decades – as a bowler for Warwickshire, an influential founding member of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, who was to become the organisation’s secretary, chairman and president, as the cricket correspondent of the Birmingham Post, as a confidant of Dr Ali Bacher before the rebel tours to South Africa in the 1980s and as a broadcaster for the BBC and latterly TalkSport. He did all these things with a wry, dry sense of humour and an obvious passion for the game and its intimate details.

He never threatened to play for England yet his record for Warwickshire is mighty impressive. In 374 matches between 1950 and 1968 he took 1,198 wickets, bowling at a brisk medium pace, at an average of 21.91. In 1959 he achieved the rare feat of taking 10 wickets in an innings (for 41 runs), when playing against the Combined Services in Birmingham, a match then regarded as a first-class fixture. He was omitted for Warwickshire’s next county match against Gloucestershire when the rested pace bowlers returned and he did not complain when the captain, MJK Smith, broke the news to him.

In time perhaps his greatest contribution to the game will be seen as his energetic, conscientious work in setting up the PCA, the cricketers’ union, in an age when there was much suspicion of unions. Today the PCA is a slick and successful organisation, a progression in which Jack could take much pride. He became the secretary of the PCA, a role that did not sit too easily with his unofficial involvement with England’s rebel tours to South Africa, which caused English cricket much grief and which hardly enhanced the anti-apartheid cause either. Dr Bacher consulted Bannister over likely English candidates to tour.

His voice, which always retained a touch of Wolverhampton where he was born, became ever more familiar to BBC viewers in the 80s and 90s. He was a popular member of the commentary team, and became great friends with Richie Benaud.

One early morning ritual was for Bannister, who was once a bookmaker, to sit down with Benaud and pick some winners from Sporting Life.

Jack Bannister, in the background, in the BBC commentary box with Ray Illingworth in 1991. Photograph: Patrick Eagar/Patrick Eagar via Getty Images

Bannister had a deep knowledge of the game and an eagerness to share the latest cricketing oddity that had entered his fertile mind. “I’ve got one for you”, he would say before sharing some arcane revelation with an eager grin.

He was articulate; his opinions were always considered and often tinged with dry humour. For those who would like to remember his mischief-making go to YouTube for a spoof interview, which Bannister and Fred Trueman gave to the up-and-coming broadcaster, Jonathan Agnew, in 1993. Agnew thought he was doing a really rather important TV interview for Grandstand (in fact Brian Johnston had set him up and was retaliating for some previous practical joke and the conversation was never going to be broadcast). Bannister – and Trueman – give the young interviewer a nightmare with replies that were either monosyllabic or irrelevant but an increasingly exasperated Agnew cannot be sure that he is being wound up. Bannister and Trueman, who parodies himself rather well, play their parts to perfection.

Later in his career Bannister needed his wits about him when he became the cricketing voice of TalkSport. Initially this required him to travel the world again since TalkSport briefly gained commentary rights in South Africa and Sri Lanka. More recently Bannister contrived to update listeners of events from Mumbai to Melbourne from his front room in Wales.

Wherever he was Jack, ever phlegmatic, ever smiling, was never short of a word and a sideways view of what was going on out on the field of play.