Such guarded humour as he evinced bore the touch of a man who was keen to be seen above all else as discerning. [87], Upon his return, Benaud advised the Australian Cricket Board that it would be in the better interests of the team if Simpson continued as captain for the remainder of the season. At the suggestion that it showed dignity, she said 'thank you.'. Swanton. [119] He died in his sleep on 10 April 2015. 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. Marcia Benaud's eyes misted up when she spoke about watching the tributes which flowed on TV following her late ex-husband's death in April, saying the coverage brought back sad memories of the life they had together, Muzzled: Richie Benaud, pictured in 1953, with his fiancee Marcia Lavender prior to their wedding and following an injury while he was fielding and a ball hit him in the face, causing his lip to split, but Marcia says he managed to utter a firm 'I do', Marcia Benaud (pictured with son Greg) remembered the day her then husband Richie rang up to say Sir Donald Bradman was coming over for dinner and after an initial panic over what to serve, she came up with chicken soup followed by roast chicken with salad for the legend in her Beecroft living room, Richie Benaud in his Test playing days, pictured in 1961, when he was still married to Marcia and they were bringing up two young sons, Greg, then aged six and Jeffrey, aged four, 'There was another time when the prime minister Robert Menzies invited us to have dinner with the Queen on the Britannia when it was docked in Sydney. [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. They were booed and heckled as they left the field and Benaud's reputation as a "go ahead" cricket captain was badly tarnished. Richie Benaud cricketer (1930-2015) . At this point, Australia had already taken an unassailable 31 series lead and decided to try out some young players. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Following his retirement from international cricket in 1964, Benaud became a highly regarded commentator on the game. After such an impressive playing career, he became even better known as a prolific author, columnist and commentator on cricket. Their faith was rewarded by an improvement in performances. In November, he revealed he was being treated for skin cancer. 254/-. Reaction to the death of former Australian cricket captain and commentator Richie Benaud, known as the 'Voice of Cricket'. In 1961 he was made an OBE for services to cricket. Benaud, who was born in Penrith, just west of Sydney, into a family of Huguenot origin, had a keen cricketer for a father. 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. 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. 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. Marcia remembers making the salads for the West Indies team, with Richie cooking on the barbecue he had made himself from Besser blocks, and legends including Everton Weekes, Garfield Sobers, Wes Hall and Frank Worrell standing around in the back yard. 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. "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.". Benaud contributed 46 and match figures of 2/73 in a First Test victory at Kingston. There would be very few Australians who have not passed a summer in the company of Richie Benaud. 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. He ended the Test series with 15 runs at 3.00 and two wickets at 87.00. Richie Benaud's Death - Cause and Date Born (Birthday) Oct 6, 1930 Death Date April 10, 2015 Age of Death 84 years Cause of Death Skin Cancer Profession Cricket Player The cricket player Richie Benaud died at the age of 84. [127], In November 2015, Benaud became an honouree at Bradman Foundation, having been a long-serving patron in his life. 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 . He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985. His instinctive, aggressive captaincy and daring approach to cricket and his charismatic nature and public relations ability revitalised cricket interest in Australia. Benaud, born in Penrith, New South Wales, enjoyed a successful career as a wily leg-spin bowler and middle-order batsman. In 1958 he became Australia's Test captain until his retirement in 1964. Richie Benaud Biography Richie Benaud Networth Thus, the 2005 Ashes series was the last that Benaud commentated on in Britain. Overall he played in or commentated on approximately 500 Test matches, as he himself noted in one of his final interviews in Britain when asked if he would miss Test cricket. 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. 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. There would be very few Australians who have not passed a summer in the company of Richie Benaud. He was with us as a player, journalist . He was buried on April 15 in a private funeral ceremony attended only by immediate family members. His first series as skipper was remarkable for a number of reasons. [citation needed], Benaud took over when Australian cricket was in a low phase with a young team. His performances in South Africa in 1957-58 reinforced that belief. [7], He took the wicket of Queensland batsman Bill Brown in his third match of the season. Harvey and Benaud had been captains of their respective states until Harvey moved in the same season for employment purposes from Victoria to New South Wales and became Benaud's deputy. But I won't be on the live commentary roster. Yes! As a batsman, he was tall and lithe, known for his hitting power, in particular his lofted driving ability from the front foot. [29], During the 1956 tour to England, he helped Australia to its only victory in the Lord's Test, when he scored a rapid 97 in the second innings in 143 minutes from only 113 balls. It worked at once, and Benaud used it thereafter. He played the game the right way., Our country has lost a national treasure, Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards said in a statement. [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. The world of sport reacts to the news that former Australia captain and broadcaster Richie Benaud died overnight at the age of 84. Marcia Benaud pictured with elder son Greg, then aged 18 months, on Umina Beach in 1956. [1], Gideon Haigh described him as "perhaps the most influential cricketer and cricket personality since the Second World War. Coupled with his subtle variations in flight and angle of the delivery, he kept the batsman under constant pressure. Ms Benaud said Richie hadkept in touch with their sons, but as the years went by they 'didn't see him as often'. 'It was very, very difficult.'. It was presented to his wife. [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. Australia never lost a series under the leg-spinning all-rounder's . [68] After Harvey led the team to victory at Lord's,[69] Benaud had an unhappy return in the Third at Headingley scoring two runs in two innings and taking match figures of 2/108 as Australia lost within three days. [47] Benaud's men won the Second Test,[48] before he took 5/83 and 4/94 in the drawn Third Test. Pearce's XI at Scarborough. [33] After taking four wickets in the drawn Second Test in Bombay,[34], Benaud bowled Australia to victory in the Third Test in Calcutta, sealing the series 20. He took up a journalism position with the News of the World,[98] beginning as a police roundsman before becoming a sports columnist. Renowned cricket broadcaster Richie Benaud passed away on Friday in Sydney. 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. [17] Benaud went on to play in the final four Tests. [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. 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. [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. He defined an era with conviction and sincerity. They were different times and it was the right thing to do for them.'. Menu! 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. 'It's very different to what it is like now. ", Benaud married Marcia Lavender in 1953 and had two sons, Greg and Jeffery, from this marriage; he divorced Marcia in 1967. 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. Will always be remembered and admired. 'Our story is one of hope': Conjoined twins who made history as first EVER pair survive to separation As Charles Bronson faces a parole hearing on Monday Will Britain's most violent prisoner soon be painting Is this Britain's most despicable man? 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. The Ashes were retained in England in 1961, though a shoulder injury kept Benaud from the Lords Test, which was won by Australia under Harvey. Benaud was the top wicket-taker on the tour, with 32 wickets at 19.31, and Australia's top wicket-taker in the three matches against New Zealand, with 15 wickets at 21.73. 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. 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. His Australian cricket television commentary continued until it was brought to a halt by a car accident in 2013 and shortly afterwards he announced that he had skin cancer a legacy, he suspected, of his bareheaded days on the field. [109] Chris Barrie of Red Dwarf fame incorporated impressions of Benaud into his stand-up repertoire. [31], The 196162 Australian season was purely a domestic one, with no touring international team. 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. [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. 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. [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. Benaud went around the wicket and bowled into the footmarks, having Dexter caught behind and then Peter May bowled around his legs. 'But it suited [Richie] to keep it quiet, and so that's how it was kept.'. Even worse, many such slurs aren't from men but 'I couldn't do it without you': Victoria Beckham poses with her whole family after her PFW show - as she Brooklyn Beckham puts on a loved-up display with wife Nicola Peltz as they head back to hotel after Cruz Beckham supports his mother Victoria as he carrying his very own VB handbag on the way to her show Like father, like daughter! After the 1956 Ashes tour in England, he completed a BBC training course while still a player, marking the beginning of a 40-year association with the corporation. [77], 196263 saw an English team under Dexter visit Australia. Marcia Benaud and Greg Benaud have launched legal action in the NSW Supreme Court challenging Richie Benaud's second wife Daphne for a slice of his multi-million-dollar estate. Doctors told him he was lucky: it could have broken his cheekbones, jaw or removed his eyesight if it had hit any of the surrounding areas. [113][123], Benaud was buried on 15 April, in a private funeral ceremony attended only by his immediate family. He was 84. This was exhibited in the 196061 Test series against the visiting West Indians, in which the grounds were packed to greater levels than they are today despite Australia's population doubling since then. Benaud took 4/69 and 4/42 in the First Test in Dacca (now in Bangladesh), sealing Australia's first win in Pakistan. (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'. whose family has been offered a state funeral after his death at the age of 84. 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'. 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. The great voice of cricket is no more. And despite the years since she saw the only man she ever married, Marcia Lorraine Lavender Benaud said she had watched the television tributes to her late former husband with mixed feelings. 'I thought when he retired we would be a family together again,' she said. In the case of the latter, comedian Billy Birmingham's impersonations of Benaud on The Twelfth Man comedy recordings have become very successful, spanning more than twenty years. He was a one-off., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. 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. ', Marcia said she waited two years to get divorced, 'because of my sons.' Listen to impressionist Rory Bremner paying tribute to Richie Benaud. 1930 - 2015. [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. More surprisingly, its patron until his death was Richie . In 2017, the Australian Mint issued a 50-cent coin commemorating Benaud. Read about our approach to external linking. He scored 817 runs including four centuries, two of them in Test matches. The selectors persisted in Benaud despite his unproductive Test performances, selecting him for the squad for the 1953 Ashes tour of England. 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. 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? He led his country in 28 Tests and never lost a series as Australian captain. [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. Discover the real story, facts, and details of Richie Benaud. Catches/ stumpings. [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. [110], On 18 February 2009, during a radio interview, Benaud announced that he would be retiring from television commentary. It's been very much appreciated.'. 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. [7], On arrival in the British Isles, Benaud quickly made an impression with both bat and ball. It was screened before Australias Test series against India last December. [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. Oscar Cainer tells all. There were good times when he was home at the family house in Beecroft, in Sydney's north. Jeffrey Benaud is not involved in the court action Marcia and Greg Benaud have taken against Daphne Benaud in the Supreme Court. He ended with 121 and took four wickets in the match as Australia won by an innings and took the series 30. He was 84 years old. He was known for his unbuttoned shirt, and raised eyebrows with his on-field exuberance. The tour included seven first-class matches, three of which were unofficial Tests. Some tedious contests had been inflicted on the watching public, with more to follow in the 1960s. Legendary Australian cricket commentator Richie Benaud has died. [29][36], Benaud took part in Australia's tour of New Zealand from February to March 1957. [7][11] He also put on 167 in a partnership with Alan Davidson, the first collaboration between the pair, who would later go on to lead Australia's bowling in the last five years of their career. "Meeting Ivan James was a remarkable piece of luck," he wrote later; "walking into that chemist's shop in Timaru saved my bowling career. [114][115], On 29 October 2008, Benaud's mother, Irene, died, aged 104. A pioneering leg-spin bowler, Benaud played in 63 Tests, 28 as captain, before retiring in. 'Not as much as when we were children. A veteran of 63 Test matches, Benaud played a pivotal role in the formation of World Series Cricket in the 1970s and was one of the worlds most recognised commentators. '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! [citation needed], The First Test in Brisbane ended in the first tie in Test history, which came about after Benaud and Alan Davidson, rather than settle for a draw, decided to risk defeat and play an attacking partnership, which took Australia to the brink of victory. Benaud led his country. Her son Greg told Daily Mail Australia that the pretty young brunette was 'one of Sydney's top three beauties', but Marcia passes that off, laughing, as 'nonsense'. [66] With Davidson back, Australia won the final Test by two wickets,[67] after a controversial incident in which Australian wicketkeeper Wally Grout was not given out hit wicket when a bail was dislodged and the umpires did not notice. 'We have been comfortable and had a contented life here,' she said. What an innings. [8], Relegated to the Second XI after this match, he was struck in the head above the right eye by a ball from Jack Daniel while batting against Victoria in Melbourne, having missed an attempted hook. The pharmacist, Ivan James, suggested a treatment with calamine lotion and boracic acid. [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. [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. [4] Educated at Parramatta High School, Benaud made his first grade debut for Cumberland at age 16, primarily as a batsman. She remained in the Beecroft house as the boys grew up, seeing their father 'now and again for birthdays'. [28] Benaud had contributed 246 runs at 41 and taken wickets steadily to total 18 at 26.94. Gallery: Richie Benaud his life in pictures, Richard Cooke pays tribute to crickets permanent witness, From the archive The Joy of Six: Richie Benaud. Richie Benaud remembered in private ceremony for friends and family, 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. Benaud had been battling skin cancer and recovering from the after effects of a car accident suffered . [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. The couple honeymooned in Jervis Bay where, Marcia remembered with amusement, they were given a room in the naval barracks with two single beds. Benaud was the first player to score 2,000 Test runs and take 200 Test wickets yet was as renowned for his captaincy. He sustained a cracked sternum and shoulder injuries. RIP Richie Benaud." The 63 Test matches veteran was the first player to score 2,000 Test runs and take 200 Test wickets. 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. The Caribbeans were skittled for 134 in reply and went on to lose the match, although they attacked the young leg-spinner, who took 1/130 in total from 36 overs. Benaud did not bowl Meckiff from the other end, and at the end of the match Meckiff announced his retirement. Following the divorce hearing in the NSW Supreme Court, Richie Benaud was required to pay Marcia and her sons ten pounds per week. Richie Benaud died on April 10, 2015, after being diagnosed with skin cancer. 'It's obviously been a bit of a strain over the years with Mum and Dad, but Daphne was very kind. [61], The Test was tied when Solomon ran out Ian Meckiff with a direct hit. He helped the Australian team have the attitude where they wanted to win. 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. During the interview, Ms Benaud revealed details her life with Richie before she was left 'devastated' when he left her to marry his second wife, Daphne. [7], After returning home from his first overseas tour, Benaud was prolific during the 195354 Australian season, which was purely domestic with no touring Test team. [108], Benaud's distinctive speaking style has been frequently parodied on the Australian comedy series Comedy Inc. and The Twelfth Man. 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. [24], Australia's selectors persisted and selected him for the squad to tour the West Indies in 195455. 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. 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. The well-groomed couple divided their time between their apartment in the Sydney beach suburb of Coogee, their house in France and five star hotels near the cricketing grounds of England as he pursued his broadcasting career. [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. [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.

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