HARARE: The cricket world was Wednesday mourning the loss of former Zimbabwe all-rounder and coach Kevin Curran, who has died aged 53.

Curran, who played at county level with Gloucestershire and Northants in England in the 1980s and 1990s, collapsed while jogging in but the cause of death was not clear, Zimbabwe Cricket reported.

“We are still in shock, Kevin was the epitome of health and we've yet to make sense of this tragic loss,” managing director Wilfred Mukondiwa said.

Curran played 324 first-class matches: and made 15,740 runs, taking 605 wickets.

He was a veteran of two World Cups for Zimbabwe - prior to their being given Test status in 1992 - and five times cleared 1,000 runs in a season in the English league.

He replaced Phil Simmons as Zimbabwe coach in 2005, retaining the post until 2007 before coaching Zimbabwean franchise Mashonaland Eagles.

The club's chief executive officer Vimbai Mapukute said: “I have yet to meet a man more passionate about cricket in this country.

“KC had put his heart and soul into developing our franchise and had great plans for our high performance gym and other facilities.

“His passing will leave a huge void at Mash Eagles and I feel that I have not only lost a key business ally but a friend as well.”