Melbourne, June 23 (ANI): Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting has passed on his sympathies to former teammate Glenn McGrath and his family, and described the latter's wife Jane as a courageous lady.

The English-born Jane McGrath, 42, died on Sunday. 

Speaking on behalf of the Australian team, which is currently touring the West Indies, Ponting paid tribute to Jane McGrath's courage in battling her illness and said she would be fondly remembered.

"Jane was a wonderful person who fought and maintained grace and dignity during her long-term illness," Ponting said.

"She was an exceptionally friendly and lovely person who displayed great courage and stoicism during her illness. Jane was a tremendous mother to James and Holly and shared a very special and deep relationship with Glenn in the time they had together," the Daily Telegraph quoted him, as saying.

"All of us are thinking about Glenn and their children at this very sad time. We all wish to convey that our best wishes go with him and to know our heartfelt sympathies are with the family at this time," Ponting said.

"Jane will be very fondly remembered by all of us," he added.

The Australian cricket team will pay homage to Jane by wearing pink ribbons and using grips of the same colour in tomorrow's one-dayer against the West Indies in St Vincent.

"As a mark of respect to the McGrath family, all Australian players will wear pink ribbons and batsmen will use pink grips during the batting innings," Cricket Australia said in a statement here today.

Jane died on Sunday morning after a decade-long battle with breast cancer and the colour pink represents the McGrath Foundation she co-founded with her husband Glenn to support women battling the disease.

Jane's death to be used as an inspiration for breast cancer sufferers: McGrath

Glenn McGrath has said that he wants his wife Jane to be remembered as an extraordinary person who inspired many others suffering from breast cancer.

"Jane would want those women who are battling breast cancer to stay strong," McGrath said.

"She would want them to draw strength from the fact she didn't only 'survive' breast cancer for 11 years, but during that time she lived life to the fullest and found pleasure in the simple things so many people take for granted," he added.

McGrath said that he was devastated by the loss of his beautiful wife and best friend.

"This is also a very tough time for our children James and Holly. I am grateful they were able to spend the time they had with their mother. Both are only young, but as the years pass and they grow older I will ensure that they never forget how much she loved them. They were her world," news.com.au quoted him, as saying."

McGrath asked that the family be given privacy to grieve. Funeral details will be announced on the McGrath Foundation website in due course.

The wife of the former Australian cricketer died in Sydney on Sunday after a decade long battle with cancer.

Jane McGrath, who had battled breast and later bone cancer, had surgery earlier this year, and was recovering before complications set in. (ANI)