Bill Frindall, English cricket's best-known scorer and statistican, has died at the age of 69 from legionnaires' disease.

An extremely popular figure within his sport, Frindall was best known for his work with BBC radio on Test Match Special.

For many years, he also provided The Times with its detailed scorecards on England Test matches and one-day internationals. On occasion, the newspaper commissioned his trademark spider charts of batsmen's innings, too.

Affectionately known to cricket fans as the Bearded Wonder and awarded an MBE in 2004 for his services to cricket, Frindall is believed to have been travelling back from Dubai when he had contracted the illness.

"He brought scoring alive," Jonathan Agnew, the BBC cricket correspondent, said. "This is what Bill will always be remembered for. He brought to life this weird and wonderful world that other people might find tedious and boring. He made scoring into an art form.

"He had this incredible scoring system that made every ball an event. If you referred back to something that had happened earlier in the day, he would know exactly which delivery you would be talking about.

"And if you had a query on a statistic, he would have the answer in seconds, his records were so meticulous. He also played the role of curmudgeon in the box. If ever we strayed too far away from talking about the cricket, he would bring us back."

Hugh Morris, the managing director of the ECB, added: "Bill Frindall was renowned for the sheer breadth of his knowledge and the deep and lasting affection he had for cricket.

"He will be much missed not only by millions of radio listeners worldwide but also by the fraternity of cricketing scorers in England and Wales whose work he did so much to champion. On behalf of the many past and present England players who considered him a good friend, I would like to send our condolences to his family."

He was the longest-serving member of the TMS team, having begun working for the BBC in 1966.