He was known for his unbuttoned shirt, and raised eyebrows with his on-field exuberance. By Andrew McGarry. [45] He had been a major contributor to the series win, scoring 329 runs at 54.83 and taking 30 wickets at 21.93, establishing himself as one of the leading leg spinners of the modern era. 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. 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. Benaud died late on Thursday . ", At the age of 83, he crushed two vertebrae when his 1963 Sunbeam vintage sports car, Test debut against West Indies at Sydney Cricket Ground, First of 248 Test wickets and 2,201 Test runs, First Test as Australia captain, v England at Brisbane, In his 60th Test, the first to 2,000 Test runs & 200 wickets, Final Test against South Africa at Sydney Cricket Ground, Final commentary in England after 42 years. 2. He sustained a cracked sternum and shoulder injuries. However, cricketers like Shane Warne, Ian Chappell, Michael Clarke among several others visited his commemoration service on the same day. Menu! [11] He scored 20 not out and was not called on to bowl in the second innings. Witch, Harridan, Harpy, and new insults like Karen and Terf. 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. 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. Listen to impressionist Rory Bremner paying tribute to Richie Benaud. The voice of cricket | The Economist While a move to preserve Benauds childhood home failed, he was honoured with a lifesize statue at the Sydney Cricket Ground, his spiritual home his actual homes having been in Sydneys Pacific-side suburb of Coogee, on the French Riviera and in London. [6], In November 1948, at the age of 18, Benaud was selected for the New South Wales Colts, the state youth team. Only seven runs were required with four wickets in hand as time was running short. Soon after television came to Australia he appeared in a commercial, tending his garden with a Victa lawnmower. He was 84 years old. [118], In November 2014, at age 84, Benaud announced that he had been diagnosed with skin cancer. He was also a highly regarded tactician and never lost a Test series as Australia captain, winning five and drawing two. Richie Benaud's first wife reveals her troubled relationship with him Yes! Benaud's personal form was a major factor in this success. The tour included seven first-class matches, three of which were unofficial Tests. She rushed to St Vincent's Hospital where he was having his mouth stitched. He made 124 runs at 20.66, making double figures in four of seven innings, but was unable to capitalise on his starts, with a top score of 45. 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. ''I was devastated when he left. Source: Cricinfo, 22 December 2007. 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. His control was admirable, and when Benaud gets a batsman in trouble he rarely if ever gives him a loose one. [89][90] His batting had been steady though with 231 runs at 33,[29] but his bowling was less so, taking 12 wickets at 37.42. The cricketer turned broadcaster had been battling skin cancer and recovering from the after-effects of a car accident . 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. In his final Ashes series, in 1962-63, the tempo reverted to that of the bad old days. 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. The unprecedented public interest saw the Caribbean touring party farewelled with a ticker-tape parade by the Australian public. ", said: "Farewell Richie Benaud. 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. There were good times when he was home at the family house in Beecroft, in Sydney's north. Richie Benaud became a household name for a whole new generation when he moved from the oval to the commentary box. [76], In another match against Victoria, he ordered his team to attempt to score 404 on the final day to take an unlikely victory in accordance with a promise to score at 400 per day. Former Australia captain and legendary cricket commentator Richie Benaud has died at the age of 84. 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. Its one of those things in life: you live and learn as you go along.. Benaud took 4/69 and 4/42 in the First Test in Dacca (now in Bangladesh), sealing Australia's first win in Pakistan. There would be very few Australians who have not passed a summer in the company of Richie Benaud. 254/-. Greg Benaud had just turned twelve and his brother Jeffrey was nine. [36], Benaud was awarded life membership by the New South Wales Cricket Association, but he returned it in protest in 1970 when his younger brother John was removed from the captaincy. Around 150,000 deaths are registered in Australia every year, but few receive the "end of an era" tribute accorded Richie Benaud. [31] In 1967, he married his second wife, Daphne Surfleet, who had worked for the English cricket writer E. W. [106], Benaud became a staunch advocate of cricket being available on free-to-view TV. When I was a kid we never ever wore a cap because Keith Miller never wore a cap, Benaud said at the time. [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. Death date: 10 April, 2015, Friday. Benaud was a Test cricket all-rounder, blending leg spin bowling with lower-order batting aggression. Rich couldn't make it and I'll always be grateful that Mr Menzies said, "well your wife might like to go".'. Richie Benaud, 1959. His first series as skipper was remarkable for a number of reasons. Benaud embraced his players when opposition wickets fell, something that was uncommon at the time. [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. How remorseless Stephen Bear continued his arrogant antics up until or debate this issue live on our message boards. He also made 113 against the touring side for the Prime Minister's XI. [8] Selected as a batsman, he scored 3 and 19. Richie commentated regularly during the 201112 season and was part of Nine's commentating team/roster. ", added: "So sad to hear about the passing of Richie Benaud. [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. [120][121][122], Prime Minister Tony Abbott offered his family a state funeral; however, his widow, Daphne, declined, respecting his wishes for a private funeral. [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. [125] In 1999, he was awarded a Logie Award for Most Outstanding Sports Broadcaster. More surprisingly, its patron until his death was Richie . He ended the Test series with 15 runs at 3.00 and two wickets at 87.00. [citation needed], Benaud then led Australia on its first full tour of the Indian subcontinent, playing three and five Tests against Pakistan and India respectively. Following his retirement from international cricket in 1964, Benaud became a highly regarded commentator on the game. 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. [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. [119] He died in his sleep on 10 April 2015. [29][36], Benaud took part in Australia's tour of New Zealand from February to March 1957. Benaud had a heavy load in the match, taking 8/199 after Davidson tore a hamstring mid-match. [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. Richard (Richie) Benaud, cricketer and commentator, died on April 10th, aged 84. 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 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. [88] His final two Tests saw no fairytale finish, yielding only four wickets and 55 runs. Kissing the bride was [tricky],' Marcia told Daily Mail Australia. 6 October 1930 City of Penrith: Date of death: 10 April 2015 Sydney: Manner of death: natural causes; Cause of death: cancer; Country of citizenship: Australia; Country for sport: Australia; Educated at: Parramatta High School; Occupation: cricketer; journalist; 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. ", "Well, the answer to that", Benaud replied, "If there is, as there always can be, some emergency or a sensational happening on or off the field where it would be quite ridiculous not to go into the commentary box, of course I'll be in there doing my job and doing it as professionally as I can. 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. Category:Richie Benaud - Wikimedia Commons We will remember him forever. 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. When South Africa followed on, Benaud took 5/84, which left Australia needing only one run to win. Richie Benaud death. 'But I wasn't invited Rich asked that I not attend. [91] In 196768 he captained a Commonwealth team against Pakistan, playing in his last five first-class fixtures. 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. [59], Benaud had contributed 91 runs at 15.16 and 29 wickets at 19.59. "[2] In his review of Benaud's autobiography Anything But, Sri Lankan cricket writer Harold de Andrado wrote: "Richie Benaud possibly next to Sir Don Bradman has been one of the greatest cricketing personalities as player, researcher, writer, critic, author, organiser, adviser and student of the game."[3]. Richie Benaud would have a fleet of cars, in particular Sunbeam Alpines, the last of which he would crash in October 2013, a hospital stay for serious injuries which would lead doctors diagnosing Benaud with skin cancer. . 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. Benaud's 5/13 in 25 balls instigated an English collapse which saw Australia retain the Ashes. [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.