[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. Along with fellow bowling all-rounder Alan Davidson, he helped restore Australia to the top of world cricket in the late 1950s and early 1960s after a slump in the early 1950s. South Africa. 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. Richie Benaud became a household name for a whole new generation when he moved from the oval to the commentary box. Richie Benaud Biography Richie Benaud Networth The cricketer turned broadcaster had been battling skin cancer and recovering from the after-effects of a car accident . [29][36], Benaud took part in Australia's tour of New Zealand from February to March 1957. Craig had fallen ill, and just when the senior player, Neil Harvey, was expected to succeed to the leadership, Benauds name was announced. [7], At this stage of his career, he had played 13 Tests with mediocre results. A pioneering leg-spin bowler, Benaud played in 63 Tests, 28 as captain, before retiring in. But some of them played below expectation, and Australias attack contained several bowlers whose actions were perceived as highly suspicious. Cause of Richie Benaud death. Australia had fallen to 6/92 on the final day chasing a target of 233 with Benaud and Davidson at the crease. . In his later career, he added the flipper, a combination of the googly and top spinner which was passed to him by Bruce Dooland. 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). 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. He defined an era with conviction and sincerity.". By Andrew McGarry. It was developed by the software company Turtlez Ltd. Having downloaded this, cricket fans would be treated to live Test match updates and weather reports from a cartoon version of Benaud with real voice samples such as "Got 'im!" The death of Richie Benaud has reverberated around the world after news broke on Friday morning of the former Australia cricket captain's death at the age of 84. He was also a highly regarded tactician and never lost a Test series as Australia captain, winning five and drawing two. 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'. Greg Benaud had just turned twelve and his brother Jeffrey was nine. He made 140, in a seventh-wicket partnership of 255 in just 176 minutes, an Australian record that still stands. Rich couldn't make it and I'll always be grateful that Mr Menzies said, "well your wife might like to go".'. [125] In 1999, he was awarded a Logie Award for Most Outstanding Sports Broadcaster. 'It's obviously been a bit of a strain over the years with Mum and Dad, but Daphne was very kind. [16] He suffered a smashed gum and a severely cut top lip when a square cut by John Waite in the Third Test against South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground hit him in the face while he was fielding at short gully. He finished the first-class tour with 627 runs and 61 wickets at 23.54. Australian Test captain Michael Clarke said Benaud was a gentleman who played cricket in the right spirit. 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. How did Richie Benaud Die? [18][19] In another match for New South Wales against the touring team, he took a total of 5/95. 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. [32] He claimed his Test innings best of 7/72 in the first innings of the First Test in Madras, allowing Australia to build a large lead and win by an innings. "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. He was 84. 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. [80][81][82] Benaud returned to form with match figures of 5/142 and 57 in the Fifth Test at Sydney,[83] which ended in a draw when Benaud ordered Bill Lawry and Peter Burge to play out the last afternoon for a draw that would retain the Ashes. National Archives of Australia, A1200, L33209. This put him out of action until the last match of the season,[13] leaving him with little opportunity to impress the national selectors for his rise to international cricket. He took up a journalism position with the News of the World,[98] beginning as a police roundsman before becoming a sports columnist. [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. [29], Benaud's bowling reached a new level on the return leg of Australia's overseas tour, when they stopped in the Indian subcontinent in 195657 en route back to Australia. Benaud took 3/116 to complement scores of 43 and 90 on his return in the Third Test in Sydney. Benaud, Richard (Richie) (1930-2015) by Kersi Meher-Homji. A pioneering leg-spin bowler, Benaud played in 63 Tests, 28 as captain, before retiring in 1964 to pursue a career in journalism and broadcasting. Richie Benaud, pictured during his touring days as Australian Test captain had an interest in cars, particularly Renaults and Sunbeams, and passed that interest down to his sons Greg and Jeff, Richie Benaud (pictured) married his second wife Daphne, an ardent cricket fan, in 1967 and together the couple forged a remarkable partnership during which the former Test captain became a legend behind the microphone. Marcia Benaud kept her surname 'for the sake of my sons. At Adelaide, a nation was brought to a standstill during a long, pulsating last-wicket stand between Ken Mackay and the near-hopeless No 11 Lindsay Kline as they secured an unlikely draw for Australia. Ms Benaud said Richie hadkept in touch with their sons, but as the years went by they 'didn't see him as often'. The reason for Richie Benaud death was stated that he died due to Skin cancer. 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. Benaud, a former Australian captain and cricketing commentator, was 84 when he died in April 2015 after battling skin cancer. It was his first five-wicket haul in a Test innings. Australia won the series 21, and although Benaud was below his best, scoring at 21.77 and taking 23 wickets at 33.87,[29][36] the series was a success for cricket. Benaud led New South Wales throughout a dominant season, winning the Sheffield Shield with 64 of the 80 possible points. [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. . 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. The unprecedented public interest saw the Caribbean touring party farewelled with a ticker-tape parade by the Australian public. It was not the first time he had been hospitalised by a blow to the head. We will remember him forever. A personal letter from Richie Benaud to a young English leg-spinner almost 20 years ago has emerged as a touching example of the great cricketer's personal qualities and deep respect for his fans. Our nation has lost an icon, he said at a media conference. He was buried on April 15 in a private funeral ceremony attended only by immediate family members. There would be very few Australians who have not passed a summer in the company of Richie Benaud. 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. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, [28] Benaud had contributed 246 runs at 41 and taken wickets steadily to total 18 at 26.94. In 1960, he made his first radio commentary in the United Kingdom at the BBC, after which he moved into television. [64][65] In Adelaide, with Davidson absent, Benaud bowled long spells to take match figures of 7/207 in addition to a score of 77 in the first innings. 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. 254/-. There were good times when he was home at the family house in Beecroft, in Sydney's north. [7] He was selected for an Australian XI match against England, in what was effectively a trial for Test selection, but suffered a chipped bone in his thumb. [6][7] New South Wales were the dominant state at the time, and vacancies in the team were scarce, particularly as there were no Tests that season and all of the national team players were available for the whole summer. [4], Benaud was not a large spinner of the ball, but he was known for his ability to extract substantial bounce from the surface. The young leg spinner claimed Hassett in the second innings when a ball landed in a crack and skidded through onto his foot. Marcia Benaud said she had not seen her former husband Richie (pictured in the West Indies in 1991) for 39 years 'except on TV', 'I enjoyed cricket, even though Richie said I didn't like it. After his retirement from international cricket in 1964, he became a well-known commentator on the game. He also made 113 against the touring side for the Prime Minister's XI. [6], In November 1948, at the age of 18, Benaud was selected for the New South Wales Colts, the state youth team. He added another fifty and ended with 250 runs at 31.25. [7] Although his form with the willow dropped off in his remaining six matches before the Testsa 35 was his only score beyond 20 in seven attemptsBenaud continued to strike regularly with the ball. In his three Tests he averaged just three runs with the bat scoring 15 runs over five innings and took two wickets for 174 before ending the long tour in glory with 135 in a festival match at a crowded Scarborough ground, hitting 11 sixes to equal the world record at that time. After 28 X-rays showed nothing, it was finally diagnosed that the crater in his forehead had resulted in a skull fracture and he was sidelined for the remainder of the season,[6] since a second impact could have been fatal. In England, Richie met Daphne Surfleet, who had worked for the English cricket writer E. W. Swanton. In the next four matches, Benaud passed 15 only once, scoring a 34, and took only seven wickets. Australia needed six runs from the final over, in which Benaud was caught and the last two wickets fell to run outs while attempting the winning run. He was with us as a player, journalist . [60], Both men were noted for their hitting ability and viewed attack as their most effective chance of survival. He was known for his unbuttoned shirt, and raised eyebrows with his on-field exuberance. He came from a cricket family, with his younger brother John Benaud also going on to become an Australian Test cricketer. He played the game the right way., Our country has lost a national treasure, Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards said in a statement. As the great cricketing icon toured the world with Daphne, dividing their timebetween their beachside Sydney apartment, their house in France and luxury hotels in England, Marcia claims that on more than one occasion she had to challenge Richie in court about payments for their two sons. 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. Following his retirement from international cricket in 1964, Benaud became a highly regarded commentator on the game. 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. Benaud struck exactly 100 in the first innings, before taking 4/70 in South Africa's reply. Vale Richie: Greg Benaud, 60, and his younger brother, Jeffrey, were very happy to be invited by Richie's second wife Daphne to attend the private funeral in April, for which Greg quipped he would have haircut, a shave and don a suit to farewell his Dad, 'I want to respect Jeff's privacy,' he said. Shortly after the the Australian cricket captain and celebrated commentator's death in April from cancer, Ms Benaud spoke to Daily Mail Australia from her housing flat on the NSW Central Coast, north of Sydney. It's been very much appreciated.'. I used to go to matches and even went on the Hill in Sydney when he was batting with Norm O'Neill.'. He was 84. Benaud contributed 46 and match figures of 2/73 in a First Test victory at Kingston. Richie Benaud, ace all-rounder, captain, journalist, and doyen of commentators, passed away on April 4, 2015. 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. It was presented to his wife. "[39], After a break in the international calendar of a year, the 195758 tour to South Africa heralded the start of a phase of three international seasons when Benaud was at his peak. [91] In 196768 he captained a Commonwealth team against Pakistan, playing in his last five first-class fixtures. Six further wickets in the drawn Third Test saw Benaud end the series with 84 runs at 28 and 18 wickets at 21.11. He was recalled for a match against the Englishmen. Benauds first marriage, to Marcia Lavender, with whom he had two sons, Greg and Jeffery, was dissolved; he later married Daphne Surfleet, who had been secretary to the cricket writer EW Swanton. In 2017, the Australian Mint issued a 50-cent coin commemorating Benaud. He had been battling skin cancer By Charlie Eccleshare Until. [42] He followed this with 5/114 in a drawn Third Test,[43] before a match-winning all round performance in the Fourth Test in Johannesburg. Inside Matt Hancock's 41-hour battle to save his career when photo of 'a snog and heavy petting' with aide Will Vladimir Putin's empress pay the ultimate price for his war on the West? 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. [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. Slow recovery meant he was unable to commentate for Australia's Channel Nine during the 201314 Ashes series. She and Richie Benaud had a second son Jeffrey in 1958, 'Dad said his cricketing commitments and distances for touring teams put strains on marriages.'. "Meeting Ivan James was a remarkable piece of luck," he wrote later; "walking into that chemist's shop in Timaru saved my bowling career. [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". ", Benaud married Marcia Lavender in 1953 and had two sons, Greg and Jeffery, from this marriage; he divorced Marcia in 1967. [17] Benaud went on to play in the final four Tests. 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. Listen to impressionist Rory Bremner paying tribute to Richie Benaud. Greg remembers him filing newspaper stories down the phone to copytakers and instructing them to wait until he read it back, 'reading it back on 5-4-3-2-1'. [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. They are Richie Benaud's secret first family, whose lives are far removed from the glittering sporting career the cricket legend led in the media spotlight before his death in April. 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. [1], Gideon Haigh described him as "perhaps the most influential cricketer and cricket personality since the Second World War. Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards said Benaud was "the iconic voice of our summer", while the Australian government has offered to hold a state funeral. [62] He took 4/107 in a seven-wicket victory in Melbourne,[63] before the West Indies levelled the series with a 22-run win in Sydney. 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. They brought back all the old memories, sad ones. Five days later, he fronted Wesley Methodist Church in Strathfield, Sydney, still bearing the stitched wound. He was playing first class cricket in the Sheffield Shield series before being selected for his first test, against the West Indies in Sydney in 1952. It was screened before Australias Test series against India last December. First wife: The former Marcia Lavender (pictured) married Richie Benaud in 1953, had two boys and divorced in 1967 and at the time of the cricketing legend's death in April had not seen him - except on TV - for 39 years. 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. Some tedious contests had been inflicted on the watching public, with more to follow in the 1960s. whose family has been offered a state funeral after his death at the age of 84. Benaud went around the wicket and bowled into the footmarks, having Dexter caught behind and then Peter May bowled around his legs. [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.
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