Following his retirement from international cricket in 1964, Benaud became a highly regarded commentator on the game. [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. He was with us as a player, journalist . [31] In 1967, he married his second wife, Daphne Surfleet, who had worked for the English cricket writer E. W. '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? [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. 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. Benaud had been battling skin cancer and recovering from the after effects of a car accident suffered . Although both sons played cricket at the private boys school they attended, Barker College in Sydney's northern suburbs, neither went on to play representative cricket after school like their father and grandfather. 'It was a 6pm wedding. How remorseless Stephen Bear continued his arrogant antics up until or debate this issue live on our message boards. Benaud had an ineffective match with the ball, taking 1/162. UPDATE 1-Cricket-Reaction to the death of the 'Voice of Cricket' Benaud How did Richie Benaud Die? He scored 97 in Australia's only innings and then took 7/46 in the hosts' first innings as the Australians took an innings win. Benaud was a Test cricket all-rounder, blending leg spin bowling with lower-order batting aggression. Marcia Benaud told Daily Mail Australia about her mixed emotions in the days after Richie Benaud's death on April 10 this year. Benaud's highest Test score of 122 was made against South Africa, His best Test bowling effort of 7 for 72 was against, He captained Australia in 28 Tests: 12 wins, 11 draws, 1 tie, 4 losses. His control was admirable, and when Benaud gets a batsman in trouble he rarely if ever gives him a loose one. [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. In November, he revealed he was being treated for skin cancer. [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. ", Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycottexternal-link said: "Farewell Richie Benaud. 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. 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. [7] This was part of a month-long run in which he made only 123 runs in eight innings and took only seven wickets in four matches. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. 1930 - 2015. [29], At the start of the 196364 season, Benaud announced that it would be his last at first-class level. Shane Warne death: Ian Healy not surprised by spin legend's passing in Swanton. He had been battling skin cancer By Charlie Eccleshare Until. The opener at Brisbane delivered the thrill of crickets first tied Test match. He was a one-off., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. It's been very much appreciated.'. Will always be remembered and admired. [7], He took the wicket of Queensland batsman Bill Brown in his third match of the season. [4], Benaud was not a large spinner of the ball, but he was known for his ability to extract substantial bounce from the surface. "Cricinfo review of Benaud autobiography: "Statsguru R Benaud Tests Innings by innings list", "Bradman sums up on Tests: Lack of Intentness, Spinners Lost Ashes", "Australia Loses Eight For 140 in Sensational Test Collapse", "Australia Prime Minister's XI v Marylebone Cricket Club", "Australia in West Indies 1954/55 (1st Test)", "Australia in West Indies 1954/55 (2nd Test)", "Australia in West Indies 1954/55 (3rd Test)", "Australia in West Indies 1954/55 (5th Test)", "Test batting and fielding in each season by Richie Benaud", "Australia in British Isles 1956 (2nd Test)", "Australia in India and Pakistan 1956/57 (Only Test)", "Australia in India and Pakistan 1956/57 (1st Test)", "Australia in India and Pakistan 1956/57 (2nd Test)", "Australia in India and Pakistan 1956/57 (3rd Test)", "Test bowling in each season by Richie Benaud", "Both pace and spin can succeed in India", "First-class bowling in each season by Richie Benaud", "Australia in South Africa 1957/58 (1st Test)", "Australia in South Africa 1957/58 (2nd Test)", "Australia in South Africa 1957/58 (3rd Test)", "Australia in South Africa 1957/58 (4th Test)", "Australia in South Africa 1957/58 (5th Test)", "Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia and New Zealand 1958/59 (1st Test)", "Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia and New Zealand 1958/59 (2nd Test)", "Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia and New Zealand 1958/59 (3rd Test)", "Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia and New Zealand 1958/59 (4th Test)", "Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia and New Zealand 1958/59 (5th Test)", "Australia in India and Pakistan 1959/60 (1st Test)", "Australia in India and Pakistan 1959/60 (2nd Test)", "Australia in India and Pakistan 1959/60 (3rd Test)", "Australia in India and Pakistan 1959/60 (4th Test)", "Australia in India and Pakistan 1959/60 (5th Test)", "West Indies in Australia 1960/61 (1st Test)", "West Indies in Australia 1960/61 (2nd Test)", "West Indies in Australia 1960/61 (3rd Test)", "West Indies in Australia 1960/61 (4th Test)", "West Indies in Australia 1960/61 (5th Test)", "Australia in British Isles 1961 (1st Test)", "Australia in British Isles 1961 (2nd Test)", "Australia in British Isles 1961 (3rd Test)", "Australia in British Isles 1961 (4th Test)", "Australia in British Isles 1961 (5th Test)", "First-class bowling in Australia for 1961/62 (ordered by wickets)", "New South Wales v Marylebone Cricket Club", "Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia and New Zealand 1962/63 (1st Test)", "Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia and New Zealand 1962/63 (2nd Test)", "Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia and New Zealand 1962/63 (3rd Test)", "Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia and New Zealand 1962/63 (4th Test)", "Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia and New Zealand 1962/63 (5th Test)", "South Africa in Australia and New Zealand 1963/64 (1st Test)", "South Africa in Australia and New Zealand 1963/64 (2nd Test)", "South Africa in Australia and New Zealand 1963/64 (3rd Test)", "South Africa in Australia and New Zealand 1963/64 (4th Test)", "South Africa in Australia and New Zealand 1963/64 (5th Test)", "John Benaud: Donned many a hat, but remained eclipsed by his brother Richie", "Test matches Batting records Fastest hundreds", "Richie Benaud dies aged 84: sport pays tribute", "Richie Benaud much more than a cricket commentator", "End of innings for cricket great Richie Benaud", "SHANE WARNE THE MIKE GATTING BALL VS ENGLAND 1993", "The legend of Richie Benaud's cream jacket began during World Series Cricket", "Benaud's all-time team opens up a can of worms, but imagine watching them play", "Benaud declares with a warning to cricket", "Got 'im! Richie Benaud: 21 lesser-known facts about the Voice of Cricket Oscar Cainer tells all. 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 tour saw his bowling talents come to the fore when he took 106 wickets,[40] surpassing the previous record of 104 by England's Sydney Barnes. The voice of cricket | The Economist Marcia Benaud described the times when Richie was overseas as lonely and trying. Richie Benaud's Death - Cause and Date - The Celebrity Deaths He was shrewd not only from the weight of experience but in the cautious way he rationed opinions. This was enough for him to gain selection for the start of the Tests. In 1963 he became the first player to complete the Test double of 200 wickets and 2,000 runs. Marcia had thought Richie's hanging up of the bat would bring him home. [4], Johnnie Moyes said "Certainly Benaud received a little help from the roughened patches, but he could do what the off-spinners could not do: he could turn the ball, mostly slowly, sometimes with more life. The next season saw the last of Benaud on the field of play, apart from some later charity matches and light-hearted private tours. By Candace Sutton for Daily Mail Australia, Published: 05:25 GMT, 2 October 2015 | Updated: 10:26 GMT, 2 October 2015. 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. It was here that Richie Benaud grew up, learning how to bowl leg breaks, googlies and topspinners under his father's watch. Then came the 1953 tour, the first of three he was to make to England as a player. Source: Cricinfo, 22 December 2007. [7], For the next season, England toured Australia, and with the Test players back, Benaud was initially forced out of the team. . Benaud's ad featured him in various scenic locations uttering his signature comment, "Marvellous!". But he was a survivor, even if his friendship with Bradman never quite recovered from that cricket civil war. 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. Richie Benaud's first wife reveals her troubled relationship with him [58] A further seven wickets from the captain in the Fifth Test saw Australia secure a draw and the series 21. The unprecedented public interest saw the Caribbean touring party farewelled with a ticker-tape parade by the Australian public. Benaud played international cricket from 1952 to 1964, and Australia never lost a series under his captaincy (28 games). 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. [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. What an innings. Richie Benaud: Australia cricket legend & commentator dies at 84 Following his retirement from international cricket in 1964, Benaud became a highly regarded commentator on the game. 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. 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; 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. Australia had fallen to 6/92 on the final day chasing a target of 233 with Benaud and Davidson at the crease. [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. 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. Now Richie Benaud's first wife Marcia, who lives with one of Richie's estranged sons in a housing commission cottage, is about to have that once private life become very public. He had brought novel flashes of exhibitionism into play on the cricket field, racing over to embrace a fieldsman after a catch, his own shirt unbuttoned almost to the navel.