Cape Town: Former South African cricketer Vernon Philander’s brother was shot dead in a street in Cape Town on Wednesday (October 7), his family confirmed. Vernon’s younger brother Tyrone Philander was killed in the neighbourhood of Ravensmead, few meters away from his home. As reported by South African media, he was shot while delivering water to a neighbour.
Vernon said in a statement issued by the family that they were ‘coming to terms with the brutal murder.’ “There are no details around the incident at the moment and speculation will make it very difficult for us as a family to mourn in peace,” he said.
I would like to confirm the following and wish that our family's wish to allow us to mourn be respected. Thank you all for the love and support🙏 https://t.co/ciyEt8VYLT
— Vernon Philander (@VDP_24) October 7, 2020
Police said the incident of shootdown occurred around lunchtime on Wednesday and are investigating the instance as a murder. No arrests have been made yet. A member of a community group said, “Philander’s mother and other family members were in the yard of their house nearby when they heard gunshots.”
At the beginning of this year, the 35-year-old Vernon announced his retirement from international cricket after having a 13-year cricketing front career with the South African national side, when he became one of the best seam bowlers in the world.
He played 64 Test matches, 164 matches in First-Class cricket and 101 games across all formats for South Africa. Meanwhile this year, he was going to join the English county side Somerset but the agreement was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
