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 carefully tended coiffure. 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'. The lawsuit against Richie Benauds estate involves complex trusts and superannuation funds both in Australia and overseas, the NSW Supreme court was told on Friday. He helped the Australian team have the attitude where they wanted to win. However, cricketers like Shane Warne, Ian Chappell, Michael Clarke among several others visited his commemoration service on the same day. 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. Benaud also used to live in Coraki, NSW. Nor have they sought the limelight occupied by their father. But he chose to study architecture over cricket, although not finishing his degree, Marcia Benaud (pictured in the garden of her Central Coast home) said following the end of her marriage to Richie Benaud, the cricketing great preferred to keep his past quiet and contact with their famous Dad became less frequent as they got older, Richie and Marcia Benaud pictured with their two sons, Jeffrey (left) and Greg (centre) in the early 1960s during the early days of his Test career at a time when cricketers earned little reward and Benaud had do advertisements to pay for keeping a family. This was enough for him to gain selection for the start of the Tests. It's been very much appreciated.'. Oscar Cainer tells all. Benaud took 3/116 to complement scores of 43 and 90 on his return in the Third Test in Sydney. Following his retirement from international cricket in 1964, Benaud became a highly regarded commentator on the game. 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. Benaud did not bowl Meckiff from the other end, and at the end of the match Meckiff announced his retirement. This included figures of 2/70 and 4/90 against the touring [60], Both men were noted for their hitting ability and viewed attack as their most effective chance of survival. [101] Some of his other memorable moments he commentated on included Shane Warne's "Ball of the Century",[102] Ian Botham's dominant all-round display during the 1981 Ashes,[97] Dennis Lillee overtaking Benaud's record for most wickets, and subsequent 300th and 310th wickets, and Andrew Symonds' tackle on a streaker. But that'll be no more television commentary". The couple honeymooned in Jervis Bay where, Marcia remembered with amusement, they were given a room in the naval barracks with two single beds. Some tedious contests had been inflicted on the watching public, with more to follow in the 1960s. More surprisingly, its patron until his death was Richie . 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. Greg said he did not wish to discuss his brother Jeff, who is married with no children and is believed to have worked in marketing. When the time came for Richie Benaud's final departure, Greg and Jeff were given the opportunity to visit their father, and they informed Marcia who said she took the philosophical view 'that it might be God's will'. [7] He was recalled immediately for the Fourth Test, but was dropped for the Fifth after managing seven runs in his only innings and going wicketless.
Richie Benaud: Australia cricket legend & commentator dies at 84 As a batsman, he was tall and lithe, known for his hitting power, in particular his lofted driving ability from the front foot. Benaud erroneously recalled in an autobiography that this was his maiden wicketit was, in fact, his fourthand described the ball as "the worst I ever bowled". [105] It was also emulated by New Zealand broadcaster John Campbell. [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. We'd have baked dinners on a Sunday at their houses.'. [28] Benaud had contributed 246 runs at 41 and taken wickets steadily to total 18 at 26.94. He loved winning. Benaud was another contender with 219 wickets, but it was Statham who broke the record (only to be overtaken by Trueman in New Zealand) and Benaud had to be content with breaking Ray Lindwall's Australian record of 228 Test wickets. '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. EXCLUSIVE: Head teacher of leading grammar school is sacked for sending parents a list of striking teachers. [29][36], It was the first of his successes against India, against whom he took his wickets at an average of 18. [106], Benaud became a staunch advocate of cricket being available on free-to-view TV. Three of the Tests were drawn, Australias Bill Lawry, Bob Simpson and Ken Mackay scoring at a snails pace (matched by Geoff Pullar, Ken Barrington and Cowdrey for England). [59], Benaud had contributed 91 runs at 15.16 and 29 wickets at 19.59. Marcia said that from time to time when people inquired about her name, she would quietly respond that yes, she was the first Mrs Richie Benaud. ", Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycottexternal-link said: "Farewell Richie Benaud. [9] This was the only match he played for the second-string state team that summer. I used to go to matches and even went on the Hill in Sydney when he was batting with Norm O'Neill.'. [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. [6] At the start of the 194950 season, he was still in the Second XI, but when the Test players departed for a tour of South Africa soon afterwards,[7] vacancies opened up. 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. 'Daphne has been kind and fair over the years to me and has welcomed me, even when it was undeserved on my part,' Greg said. Benaud went around the wicket and bowled into the footmarks, having Dexter caught behind and then Peter May bowled around his legs. In fact they have shunned it. Biography - A Short Wiki He is survived by Daphne, by his sons, and by his brother, John. ", Benaud married Marcia Lavender in 1953 and had two sons, Greg and Jeffery, from this marriage; he divorced Marcia in 1967. Some famous Benaud phrases and one-liners: "It's gone straight into the confectionary stall and out again"", "And Glenn McGrath dismissed for two, just ninety-eight runs short of his century", Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards said Benaud was "the iconic voice of our summer", while the Australian government has. His leg spin yielded ten wickets at 30.60, with a best of 4/118 in the Fourth Test in Adelaide when he was given a heavy workload, totalling 58 overs,[7] when Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller broke down during the match. He made another century in the return match, striking 144 not out and taking a total of 2/55. Cricket icon Richie Benaud, who distinguished himself first as a leg-spinning all-rounder, then as a daring Australian Test captain and later as the . It was screened before Australias Test series against India last December. He defined an era with conviction and sincerity. Australia had fallen to 6/92 on the final day chasing a target of 233 with Benaud and Davidson at the crease. [103], The idea for what became his trademarkwearing a cream or white jacket during live commentarycame from Channel 9 owner Kerry Packer, who suggested the look to help Benaud stand out from the rest of the commentary team. [7], In the next match against South Australia, he made 48, took 4/93 and 1/29 and suffered three dropped catches by the wicketkeeper in successive balls. [7] As a specialist batsman, he made his first-class debut for New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground against Queensland in the New Year's match of the 194849 season. 'I thought when he retired we would be a family together again,' she said. [29][36], When Ian Craig fell ill at the start of the 195859 season, Benaud was promoted to the captaincy ahead of vice-captain Neil Harvey. 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". He wrote a number of books, rather serious works written with little flourish, and there were two books about him, one by AG Moyes and a later study by Mark Browning. Soon after television came to Australia he appeared in a commercial, tending his garden with a Victa lawnmower. ", said: "Farewell Richie Benaud. Within hours of his death, Tony Abbott, the Australian prime minister, offered Benauds family a state funeral. The reason for Richie Benaud death was stated that he died due to Skin cancer. The great voice of cricket is no more. His instinctive, aggressive captaincy and daring approach to cricket and his charismatic nature and public relations ability revitalised cricket interest in Australia. [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. He played three Tests against South Africa in 1963-64 under his successor as captain, Simpson, whacking a memorable 90 on his home ground, Sydney, having calmly endured the trauma at the start of the season of captaining for the last time while his key fast bowler, Ian Meckiff, was repeatedly called by umpire Colin Egar for throwing. BBC Radio 5 live pays tribute to Richie Benaud. 'But it suited [Richie] to keep it quiet, and so that's how it was kept.'. In 1960, he made his first radio commentary in the United Kingdom at the BBC, after which he moved into television. His first BBC radio commentary came in 1960, followed by his first television appearance three years later. [7] His only wicket was that of the all-rounder Trevor Bailey. [6] In eight first-class matches after his Test campaign was over, Benaud added a further half-century in addition to the century against Pearce's XI, and took 22 more wickets, including 4/20 against the Gentlemen of England. Our nation has lost an icon, he said at a media conference. 'But I wasn't invited Rich asked that I not attend. Aussie TV stands up for England", "12th Man Billy Birmingham on Richie Benaud", "Richie Benaud retires from all television commentary", "Richie Benaud signs new three-year deal with Channel Nine", "Richie Benaud dies: Prime Minister Tony Abbott offers a state funeral for cricket great", "Bon Voyage, 'Sir Richie': a teacher, a gentleman", "Voice of cricket happy to strengthen his French connection", "Richie Benaud A Marvellous Life 19302015 Full Episode", "Richie Benaud: time to say goodbye to cricket's permanent witness", "Richie Benaud: World pays tribute to cricket legend & commentator", "Richie Benaud family declines Australia state funeral", "Richie Benaud: Private funeral for cricket legend", "Richie Benaud obituary: the 'voice of cricket' was the game's shrewdest analyst", "Benaud, Gooch, Compton, Larwood and Woolley inducted into Cricket Hall of Fame", "Marvellous Richie Benaud becomes the 40th Legend of Australian sport", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richie_Benaud&oldid=1141586246.
The best of his career hung principally on the exhilharating Test series of 1960-61, when he captained Australia against the visiting West Indies side led by Frank Worrell. Marcia had thought Richie's hanging up of the bat would bring him home. Selected as a batsman who could bowl, he had totalled 309 runs at 15.45 without passing 50, and taken 23 wickets at 37.87 with only two four-wicket innings hauls. 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.
Cricket-Reaction to the death of the 'Voice of Cricket' Benaud - Yahoo! At this point, Australia had already taken an unassailable 31 series lead and decided to try out some young players.
Richie Benaud dead: Australia mourns loss of cricketing great Benaud was given a chance against the visiting team when New South Wales played them in Sydney after the First Test. This put him in a small group of spinners whose career averages were inferior to their performances against India, generally regarded as the best players of spin in the world. 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 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.". [27] In the Fifth Test at Kingston, he struck a century in 78 minutes, despite taking 15 minutes to score his first run. A petite and gracious lady with a merry laugh and a gentle demeanour, Marcia Benaud has lived a 'contented' life a world apart from the public life Richie Benaud led with second wife Daphne. ', Marcia said she waited two years to get divorced, 'because of my sons.' Tony Abbott offers family a state funeral for the former Australian leg-spinner, cricket captain and commentator. He scored 47 not out and took 3/37 in an innings win over Queensland. Benaud, a former Australian captain and cricketing commentator, was 84 when he died in April 2015 after battling skin cancer. 'I remember a time when he called from the cricket and said Sir Donald Bradman was coming over for dinner and I thought Sir Donald Bradman! Within the year he had spun his way to a further 47 wickets in eight Tests in Pakistan and India, and all was set for what was perceived as a world championship contest against the visiting West Indies team. Over the first years of their marriage, Benaud would tour overseas with the Australian cricket team to the West Indies, England, India, Pakistan and South Africa. [75] His aggressive tactical style brought large crowds throughout the season, with almost 18,000 watching one match against South Australia. As per theguardian.com, Richie Benaud's Cause of Death was revealed that he died of Skin cancer. [7][14] Benaud ended his season with 97 and a total of 3/39 in an innings win over South Australia.[7]. 581 Former Australia cricket captain and renowned commentator Richie Benaud has died aged 84. He was 84 years old. Benaud took 4/69 and 4/42 in the First Test in Dacca (now in Bangladesh), sealing Australia's first win in Pakistan. Australia never lost a series under the leg-spinning all-rounder's . Richie Benaud was an all-time great all-rounder cricketer, a crafty leg-spinner who captured 248 wickets in 63 Tests, an attacking lower-order batsman who hit one of the fastest Test centuries, a brilliant gully . He was known for his unbuttoned shirt, and raised eyebrows with his on-field exuberance. He secured his place after scoring 125 against Queensland at the start of the season,[23] although his lead-up form in two matches against England for his state and an Australian XI was not encouraging. Benaud, who was appointed OBE in 1961 for services to cricket, leaves a wife of 48 years, Daphne, and two children from his first marriage.
Richie Benaud, Australian Cricket Legend, Dies at Age 84 It was screened before Australias Test series against India last December. Richie Benaud, 1959. Three years later, against the West Indies at Sydney, he first played for Australia. Read about our approach to external linking. Benaud had a heavy load in the match, taking 8/199 after Davidson tore a hamstring mid-match. [110], On 18 February 2009, during a radio interview, Benaud announced that he would be retiring from television commentary. Although the shoulder injury had affected him, Benaud did produce a memorable piece of bowling in the New South Wales match against England, taking 7 for 18, his best figures in first-class cricket. He had been battling skin cancer By Charlie Eccleshare Until. The pharmacist, Ivan James, suggested a treatment with calamine lotion and boracic acid. 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. Four years previously he had been hit in the face while batting for New South Wales 2nd XI in Melbourne.
Richie Benaud's 90th birth anniversary celebrated in new Cricket Shane Warne, Australia's record wicket-taker, made a particularly heartfelt contribution.external-link, "Dear Richie, you were a legend on all levels and rightly so too," said Warne. Cricket great Richie Benaud dies at 84 In October 2013, Benaud, then 83, was involved in a car crash and did not recover sufficiently to broadcast the Ashes series and in November 2014, he announced he was been treated for skin cancers.
The voice of cricket | The Economist Former Australia captain and legendary cricket commentator Richie Benaud has died at the age of 84. But Richie asked the pretty young woman out, and when he moved on to a job as a clerk at The Sun newspaper their relationship grew. Richie Benaud was the captain of the Australian team that was in charge of the Australian side which featured in Test cricket's first-ever tied match, against the West Indies in 1960-61. [47] Benaud's men won the Second Test,[48] before he took 5/83 and 4/94 in the drawn Third Test. [29][36][54] Benaud made a strong start to the series against India, taking 3/0 in the first innings of the First Test in Delhi, before a 5/76-second innings haul secured an innings victory. [109] Chris Barrie of Red Dwarf fame incorporated impressions of Benaud into his stand-up repertoire. The first Test of the season, against the touring South Africans, saw high drama as Australia's left arm paceman Ian Meckiff was called for throwing by Colin Egar and removed from the attack by Benaud after one over. [51] Benaud contributed 132 runs at 26.4 and 31 wickets at the low average of 18.83,[29][36] as well as his shrewd and innovative captaincy. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, Mom who lost both sons to fentanyl blasts laughing Biden, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces, Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' It was presented to his wife. [41], In the Second Test at Cape Town, Benaud took 4/95 and then 5/49 in the second innings to secure an innings victory after the home team were forced to follow on. [108], Benaud's distinctive speaking style has been frequently parodied on the Australian comedy series Comedy Inc. and The Twelfth Man. [7], He managed only eight runs in four innings in the first two Tests, and having taken only two wickets for 136 runs was dropped for the Third. 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. [7], In his early career, Benaud was a batting all-rounder, marked by a looping backlift which made him suspect against fast bowling but allowed him to have a wide attacking stroke range. 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. [7], At this stage of his career, he had played 13 Tests with mediocre results. [56][57] He returned to form with 5/43 and 3/43 as India were defeated by an innings after being forced to follow on in the Fourth Test in Madras. It is only a shame he did not get the send-off he deserved - the game of cricket has not had a chance to say goodbye, BBC commentator Jonathan Agnew told the broadcaster. In his final Ashes series, in 1962-63, the tempo reverted to that of the bad old days. Fred Trueman with 216 Test wickets and Brian Statham with 229 were poised to overtake the record of 236 Test wickets set by the assistant-manager Alec Bedser. Following the divorce hearing in the NSW Supreme Court, Richie Benaud was required to pay Marcia and her sons ten pounds per week. It was another lean series with the ball, Benaud's 17 wickets costing 40.47, the third consecutive series where his wickets cost more than 30.
[29], At the start of the 196364 season, Benaud announced that it would be his last at first-class level. His control was admirable, and when Benaud gets a batsman in trouble he rarely if ever gives him a loose one. He was the accompaniment of an Australian summer, his voice was even more present than the chirping of the cicadas in our suburbs and towns, and that voice, tragically, is now still. 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. He defined an era with conviction and sincerity.". [127], In November 2015, Benaud became an honouree at Bradman Foundation, having been a long-serving patron in his life.
Richie Benaud dead | The Australian