[92], During Benaud's captaincy, Australia did not lose a series, and became the dominant team in world cricket. After scoring 60 and 37 and taking 1/60 in an Australian XI against the South Africans following the Test, he was selected for the Second Test. Richie (Richard) Benaud, cricketer, journalist and broadcaster, born 6 October 1930; died 10 April 2015, When Richie Benaud made a teenage cricket fans day | Letters, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Richie Benaud, at the Montcalm Hotel, London in 2005, Richie Benaud remembered in private ceremony for friends and family, Richie Benaud, former Australia cricket captain, dies at 84, Richie Benaud dies aged 84 rolling reaction, Richie Benaud: archive match reports of his playing career, Richie Benaud: a personal reflection on a colossus of cricket, Cricket legend Richie Benaud his life in pictures, Richard Cooke pays tribute to crickets permanent witness, Rolling blog: how the world reacted to Benauds death, Gallery: Richie Benaud his life in pictures, From the archive The Joy of Six: Richie Benaud. Three months later, Benaud married Daphne Surfleet and they embarked on a life of adventure in which Richie would cement his name in history and he and Daphne Benaud would forge an ironclad relationship that endured until his death last Friday. With Ray Lindwall, Keith Miller and Ernie Toshack, three of Australia's leading four bowlers from the 1948 Invincibles tour of England unavailable, Benaud bowled heavily in some matches. [7], He took the wicket of Queensland batsman Bill Brown in his third match of the season. [117], Benaud had last handed "Baggy green" caps to Simon Katich and Mitchell Starc when they made their test debut, but Benaud's own was lost early in his Test career, and former captainnow commentator and the Director of Cricket Australia, Mark Taylorwas to present the replacement cap to him at the semi-final of the 2015 Cricket World Cup between Australia and India at the SCG, but Benaud was too unwell to attend, and when the cap arrived at Channel 9 headquarters, it was the day before Benaud died. Oscar Cainer tells all. He is survived by Daphne, by his sons, and by his brother, John. Like all fans of the sport, I will miss him very much.. Tony Abbott offers family a state funeral for the former Australian leg-spinner, cricket captain and commentator. [19] It was thought that the surface at the Oval would favour pacemen, but Australia's selection proved to be a blunder[21] as England's spinners[22] took them to the only win of the series, allowing them to regain the Ashes. Marcia Benaud, who always refers to her only husband as 'Rich' rather than 'Richie', spoke about the fantastic life she had with Benaud, the young Test cricketing star she had been married to in the 1950s and 60s, and their two sons she had sometimes struggled to raise in the years since. Benaud took 4/69 and 4/42 in the First Test in Dacca (now in Bangladesh), sealing Australia's first win in Pakistan. After Don Bradman, there has been no Australian player more famous or more influential than Richie Benaud.. His voice was even more present than the chirping of the cicadas in our suburbs and towns and that voice, tragically, is now still., British prime minister David Cameron said: I grew up listening to Richie Benauds wonderful cricket commentary. Marcia Benaud kept her surname 'for the sake of my sons. 'I watched all the broadcasts. Greg Benaud said he and brother Jeffrey met Australian Test players, such as Alan Davidson and Arthur Morris, who his father invited round for team meetings in the garage of the Beecroft home, 'starting off with Davo leading a prayer and then they would discuss tactics and show 8mm home moves of games'. [4], Benaud was not a large spinner of the ball, but he was known for his ability to extract substantial bounce from the surface. 'Not as much as when we were children. ", added: "So sad to hear about the passing of Richie Benaud. Reaction to the death of former Australian cricket captain and commentator Richie Benaud, known as the 'Voice of Cricket'. But that extraordinary five-match encounter produced electrifying batsmanship, and bowling that was less concerned with shutting the game down than keeping it moving. Its one of those things in life: you live and learn as you go along.. In 1961 he was made an OBE for services to cricket. His success was based on his ability to attack, his tactical boldness and his ability to extract more performance from his players, in particular Davidson. Five days before their wedding and listening to the match on the radio, Marcia heard that her fianc had been struck in the lip while fielding. Ritchie Benaud pictured in 2004, when he was commentating for Channel 4. [10] He had more success with the bat, scoring 93 and narrowly missing a century against South Australia. In the previous seasons when he and his team were at their peak, he had scored 636 runs at 31.8 with taken 108 wickets at 20.27 in eighteen Tests, averaging six wickets a match. [7] Hassett was known for his prowess against spin bowling, being the only batsman to score centuries in a match against the leg-spin of Bill O'Reilly, regarded as the finest bowler of his age. [74] Benaud was the leading wicket-taker of the season with 47 at 17.97. Benaud retired from international cricket in 1964 and turned to full-time cricket journalism and commentary, for which he already had runs on the board with the BBC. The unprecedented public interest saw the Caribbean touring party farewelled with a ticker-tape parade by the Australian public. Benaud had a heavy load in the match, taking 8/199 after Davidson tore a hamstring mid-match. If I knew, when I was at school and playing in my early cricket days, the problems that would have come if I didnt do something about protection of the head and using sunscreens and all sorts of things like that, Id have played it differently. But he was a survivor, even if his friendship with Bradman never quite recovered from that cricket civil war. 'It's very different to what it is like now. On a green pitch which was struck by a downpour on the opening day, Benaud's spin was not used by Arthur Morris, and he failed to make an impression with the bat in his only innings, scoring only two. He sustained a cracked sternum and shoulder injuries. Final respects: Greg Benaud (pictured) dressed for his father's funeral in April, for which Greg said Richie had given him some advice before he died to 'get a haircut, but don't take too much off'. 'Dad had two families to look after and back in the day when Mum was awarded custody, it was the law brought down in the Supreme Court rather than the family court that we lived with Mum and saw Dad once a fortnight,' Greg said. 'He likes to keep his privacy.'. I was devastated when he left.'. [72], During England's chase on the final afternoon it became apparent that, with Ted Dexter scoring quickly, Australia would lose the Test unless England were bowled out. Richie proposed to Marcia and the engaged pair planned to marry on January 15, 1953, in between the third and fourth tests against the touring South African team. (Adds reaction) SYDNEY, April 10 (Reuters) - Reaction to the death of former Australian cricket captain and commentator Richie Benaud, known as the 'Voice of Cricket'. [8], He also showed his hitting ability in a tour match against T.N. He was the accompaniment of an Australian summer. By Andrew McGarry. He was 84. "He was an integral part of the BBC team for decades and will be sorely missed by everyone who had the pleasure of working with him.". Richie Benaud was a pioneering leg-spin bowler In the memorial booklet, Benaud's family described him as "a special person who means so much to each of us in many different ways". Six further wickets in the drawn Third Test saw Benaud end the series with 84 runs at 28 and 18 wickets at 21.11. Slow recovery meant he was unable to commentate for Australia's Channel Nine during the 201314 Ashes series. He ended the Test series with 15 runs at 3.00 and two wickets at 87.00. [7] Benaud was the only bowler selected for all five Tests of the 195455 series when England visited Australia. Newspaper reports said he drank champagne 'through a straw'. 65/-. Then came the 1953 tour, the first of three he was to make to England as a player. Jeffrey Benaud is not involved in the court action Marcia and Greg Benaud have taken against Daphne Benaud in the Supreme Court. Greg said that instead of cricket he chose to study architecture after leaving school in 1972, but never finished his degree 'for various reasons I can't talk about' said he had 'worked at various things, any job'. Benaud built his reputation as a commentator following an outstanding playing career in which he took 945 wickets in 259 first-class matches and made 11,719 first-class runs, scoring 23 centuries at an average of 36.50. He had been seventh and eighth in the domestic run-scoring and wicket-taking aggregates for the season, but was yet to convert this into international performance. 'When I heard that it was serious and Greg told me he had got [the cancer] in its bloodstream, I accepted that whatever God decided to do would be right,' she said. [75] His aggressive tactical style brought large crowds throughout the season, with almost 18,000 watching one match against South Australia. [17] Benaud went on to play in the final four Tests. [52] He took four wickets in a Second Test in Lahore that sealed the series 20,[53] the last time Australia would win a Test in Pakistan until Mark Taylor's men in 1998, 37 years later. Within hours of his death, Tony Abbott, the Australian prime minister, offered Benauds family a state funeral. Against Len Huttons dominant England tourists in 1954-55 he again did little with bat or ball, just as he struggled in 1956 on his second tour of England, the Lords Test apart: having taken a memorably sharp reflex catch in the gully to dismiss Colin Cowdrey, Benaud was at his cavalier best in an innings of 97, ended by a top edge as he tried to reach his hundred in the grand manner by hooking Fred Trueman. [37] At this stage of his career, he had yet to perform consistently with bat and ball simultaneously, apart from his breakthrough series in the Caribbean. Marcia Benaud pictured with elder son Greg, then aged 18 months, on Umina Beach in 1956. He made another century in the return match, striking 144 not out and taking a total of 2/55. "Meeting Ivan James was a remarkable piece of luck," he wrote later; "walking into that chemist's shop in Timaru saved my bowling career. Time and again he and fellow bowler Alan Davidson took the opposition by storm, and the Australians, led by 22-year-old Ian Craig, finished the tour unbeaten. 254/-. Benaud, a former Australian captain and cricketing commentator, was 84 when he died in April 2015 after battling skin cancer. He was the mainstay in Australian cricket television commentary until the past two summers - a car accident in 2013 sidelined him before he announced in November last year that he was fighting skin cancer. He finished the innings with 6/70. [7] However, this was not enough to ensure his selection in the First Test, where he was made 12th man. This memorial website was created in memory of Richie Benaud, 84, born on October 6, 1930 and passed away on April 10, 2015. He also made 113 against the touring side for the Prime Minister's XI. Someone asked me, "Does that mean you'll never again go into the commentary box? [73] Benaud had a poor series with the bat, scoring 45 runs at 9, but was more successful with the ball, taking 15 wickets at 32.53. He keeps him pinned down, probing and probing until the victim is well and truly enmeshed. When I was a kid we never ever wore a cap because Keith Miller never wore a cap, Benaud said at the time. The boys played cricket in the yard and at school, where Jeffrey made the school eleven and Greg 'started as an off break bowler and ended up as leg spin'. Richard "Richie" Benaud OBE ( / bno /; 6 October 1930 - 10 April 2015) was an Australian cricketer. Benaud returned and scored 37 and took a total of 2/68 in the final match, ending the season with 184 runs at 36.80 and 11 wickets at 34.63. In 1958 he became Australia's Test captain until his retirement in 1964. and "That's stumps and time for a glass of something chilled". After retiring, Benaud became a commentary icon, with the BBC and later for Channel 4 in the UK and also in his native Australia. Marcia had thought Richie's hanging up of the bat would bring him home. Marcia Lavender was a shorthand typist from Strathfield in Sydney's inner west and working at a chartered accountants office in Sydney's CBD where young cricketer Richie Benaud was trying to make a career. Benaud's personal form was a major factor in this success. His career in television then took off, while his contract with the News of the World was to proceed for half a century until the paper closed in 2011. Nor have they sought the limelight occupied by their father. It worked at once, and Benaud used it thereafter. For the following Australian season in 195253, Benaud started modestly; and, in the five first-class matches before the Tests, he scored 208 runs at 26.00, including a 63 and 69, and 14 wickets at 38.64. On the way home Benaud finally fulfilled his potential by taking 7 for 72 (this remained his best Test return) at Madras to set up an Australian innings victory over India, the short series being sealed at Calcutta in the third Test when Benaud took 11 wickets for 105. from around the world following the news of Benaud's death. Benaud often spoke of a return to commentary but, to the great sadness of his legions of admirers, it did not materialise. The decisive victory came in the fourth Test, at Old Trafford, when Benauds 6 for 70 and an unlikely Australian 54-run victory shamed England, who fell from 150 for one to 201 all out. 'I thought when he retired we would be a family together again,' she said. [38] Early in the tour, when the team visited Timaru to pay a minor match, Benaud went to a pharmacy to see if he could get something to soothe his spinning-fingers, which had been torn by his spinning action for many years. [7] Benaud scored his maiden first-class century, 117 against South Australia, in the next match, two years after falling short of the milestone by seven runs. Kissing the bride was [tricky],' Marcia told Daily Mail Australia. Benaud hit a ball into the covers and the pair attempted a quick single when a direct hit from Joe Solomon saw Davidson run out. But he had been a distinguished performer for Australia on the cricket field himself, playing for his country for 12 years until 1964. There were good times when he was home at the family house in Beecroft, in Sydney's north. In his final Ashes series, in 1962-63, the tempo reverted to that of the bad old days. 'It was very, very difficult.'. He justified their decision prior to the team's departure, scoring 167 not out and taking match figures of 7/137 for the touring team against a Tasmania Combined XI, his wickets including Test batsmen Miller, Ian Craig and Neil Harvey. Marcia was to live in the house at Beecroft until 2002, when she sold it and gave the profits to her two sons and moved into the housing cottage on the Central Coast with Greg. Such guarded humour as he evinced bore the touch of a man who was keen to be seen above all else as discerning. I've had enough of life': Grandmother, 86, is reduced to tears after killjoy Tory RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: As Florida governor and Donald Trump rival Ron DeSantis steps up his bid to win the Hairy Bikers star Dave Myers speaks out on his deep depression after chemotherapy which left him having 'How I snatched JK Rowling's baby out of her abusive husband's arms - and helped her flee with the Harry Top equestrian rider, 39, once known as the 'golden girl' of horse eventing, is facing jail after being A possum feared extinct is discovered by an amateur naturalist in Papua New Guinea being cooked on a Now California reparations panel RAISES amount it wants to give 1.8m black people from $220,000 to $360,000 My weekly horoscope: What will March 4th 2023 bring for MY star sign? [30] His fielding, in particular at gully and short leg, was consistently of a high standard, in particular his acrobatic catch to dismiss Colin Cowdrey. Benaud struck exactly 100 in the first innings, before taking 4/70 in South Africa's reply. [29][36] The first two seasons of the Benaud captaincy had been a resounding success, with Australia winning eight, drawing four and losing only one Test. At one stage, New South Wales were six wickets down with less than 150 runs scored, but Benaud refused to attempt to defend for a draw. [4] According to Neil Harvey, he also was the first captain who started hosting team meetings, a procedure now followed by his successors after he retired. [130], Last edited on 25 February 2023, at 20:19, 195455 series when England visited Australia, 196061 Test series against the visiting West Indians, 196263 saw an English team under Dexter visit Australia, Officer of the Order of the British Empire, Jane McGrath Day for Breast Cancer awareness and fundraising, List of New South Wales representative cricketers, List of international cricket five-wicket hauls by Richie Benaud. '"[116], In October 2013, Benaud crashed his vintage 1965 Sunbeam Alpine into a wall while driving near his home in Coogee, a beachside suburb in Sydney's east. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Ken Bruce finishes his 30-year tenure as host of BBC Radio 2, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Hershey's Canada releases HER for SHE bars featuring a trans activist, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Family of a 10-month-old baby filmed vaping open up. [44] He took 5/82 in the second innings of the Fifth Test, the fourth consecutive match in which he had taken five wickets in an innings, as Australia took a 30 series win. Richard Benaud OBE ( / bno /; 6 October 1930 - 10 April 2015) was an Australian cricketer who played for New South Wales and the Australia national cricket team. [97], In 2004, Benaud starred in a series of television advertisements for the Australian Tourism Commission, aimed at promoting Australia as a tourist destination. Benaud went on to dismiss tail-ender Alf Valentine for his first Test wicket, conceding 14 runs from 4.3 overs. [126], In 2007, he was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame at the Allan Border Medal award evening and in 2009 he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. Marcia Benaud told Daily Mail Australia about her mixed emotions in the days after Richie Benaud's death on April 10 this year. Following the divorce hearing in the NSW Supreme Court, Richie Benaud was required to pay Marcia and her sons ten pounds per week. [114][115], On 29 October 2008, Benaud's mother, Irene, died, aged 104. "Richie was not just a great cricket commentator, he was one of the finest sports commentators of his generation," said Barbara Slater, Director of BBC Sport. Abbott described him as the voice of cricket. Read about our approach to external linking. [7], Up to this point, his first-class batting average was below 30 and his bowling average close to 40, and he had never taken more than four wickets in an innings or six in a match. When, a few months later in England, Benaud took veteran Ray Lindwalls advice and bowled his leg-spin around the wicket into the rough, when all seemed lost in the Old Trafford Test, his wicket-taking that afternoon ensured that Australia retained the Ashes and raised the captain close to sainthood in the estimation of his team and his country. His selection was frequently questioned in those early years, when much other flowering talent was evident in domestic cricket. [84][85] The draw meant that the series was shared 11, the first time he had drawn a series after five successive wins. The parents who fear their 11-year-olds will be scarred for life by the graphic sex education lessons that Two Insulate Britain protesters are jailed for contempt of court after they defied a judge's orders not to 'Derek fights on, it makes me fall in love with him all over again:' Kate Garraway reveals there are days French authorities fear 'narco-tourists' could flock to Normandy beaches after 'more than two tonnes of Hopes for cervical cancer vaccine after trials in mice showed it reduced tumours 80 per cent of the time. [100] He vacated the commentary booth when New Zealand was about to clinch a test victory at Lord's in 1999, allowing former New Zealand captain-turned-commentator Ian Smith to call the famous victory of his compatriots. Richie Benaud Biography Richie Benaud Networth He defined an era with conviction and sincerity.". 'It's obviously been a bit of a strain over the years with Mum and Dad, but Daphne was very kind. By that summers end, with the beaten but popular West Indies having had a tickertape motorcade send-off in Melbourne, Richie Benauds own popularity was sealed. RIP Richie Benaud." The 63 Test matches veteran was the first player to score 2,000 Test runs and take 200 Test wickets. Up to this point, in seven matches for the season, the young all-rounder had only scored 307 runs at 27.90 and taken ten wickets at 64.80. Benauds crew cruised to a 4-0 victory, the skipper taking 31 wickets for an average of 18.83 runs each. He was with us as a player, journalist . 2. [29][36], Benaud took part in Australia's tour of New Zealand from February to March 1957. Gallery: Richie Benaud his life in pictures, Richard Cooke pays tribute to crickets permanent witness, From the archive The Joy of Six: Richie Benaud. [58] A further seven wickets from the captain in the Fifth Test saw Australia secure a draw and the series 21. Witch, Harridan, Harpy, and new insults like Karen and Terf. Will always be remembered and admired. [4], On his third and final tour to England in 1961, he was hampered by damaged tendons in his right shoulder, which forced him to miss the Second Test at Lord's known as the "Battle of the Ridge". [7], At this stage of his career, he had played 13 Tests with mediocre results. South Africa. [7], Despite this, Benaud was chosen for his Test debut in the Fifth Test against the West Indies in 195152 in Sydney. His record reads 12 wins, 11 draws, one tie, and four losses from 28 Tests in charge of Australia. He scored 817 runs including four centuries, two of them in Test matches. Richie Benaud death. [7][14] Benaud ended his season with 97 and a total of 3/39 in an innings win over South Australia.[7]. Benaud, who was born in Penrith, just west of Sydney, into a family of Huguenot origin, had a keen cricketer for a father. A veteran of 63 Test matches,. [112], "This is the greatest loss for cricket since the loss of Don Bradman and for that reason I'm pleased to have offered the Benaud family a state funeral. [6][46] Benaud had little prior leadership experience, and faced the task of recovering the Ashes from an England team which had arrived in Australia as favourites. When live Test cricket disappeared from the BBC in 1999 he moved to Channel 4, and when terrestrial broadcasting ended in 2005 he refused to switch to pay TV. Listen to impressionist Rory Bremner paying tribute to Richie Benaud. Richie Benaud, who has died aged 84, was perhaps best known latterly for his work as a global cricket commentator, with his distinctive voice, familiar fixed gaze, prominent bottom lip and. Marcia Benaud, a gracious lady with a merry laugh and good sense of humour (pictured with son Greg, 60, at their Central Coast home) spoke with affection and sadness about her marriage to cricketing legend Richie, Greg Benaud (pictured), the elder son of cricketing legend Richie, was an off-break and then leg-spin bowler encouraged by his Dad. He led from the front with his bowling, taking match figures of 7/112 in his debut as captain as Australia claimed the First Test in Brisbane. SUBSCRIBE TO US Richie Benaud dies aged 84 - rolling reaction The former Australia cricket captain and commentator, who played 63 Test matches, has died at the age of 84 Updated 9 Apr 2015 9 Apr 2015 Flags. But I will be doing all sorts of, what I regard as, interesting things for Channel Nine on the cricketspecial features on the cricket". Richie Benaud: Former cricketer and broadcaster dubbed 'The voice of cricket' dies, aged 84. He was a one-off., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. [8] He contributed significantly with both bat and ball in New South Wales' Sheffield Shield triumph, the first of nine consecutive titles. [4] Benaud took 5/72 and scored 43 in the First Test,[86] but then injured himself in a grade match, so Bob Simpson captained the team for the Second Test and won the match in Benaud's absence.