Ex-cricket captain 'jumps to his death'

A former Somerset cricket captain has died after apparently committing suicide at a hotel in South Africa on Saturday night, police said.

Peter Roebuck, 55, a former opening batsman turned journalist, allegedly jumped to his death from the sixth floor of his hotel in Cape Town, where he was covering the test series between South Africa and Australia.

Police said Roebuck "had taken his own life" and they were investigating the circumstances of his death.

A report by the Sydney Morning Herald in Australia, where Roebuck worked as a cricket writer, claimed he had been questioned by police at the hotel earlier on Saturday over an alleged sexual assault. Police would not comment on this.

Roebuck played 335 first-class matches between 1974-91.