His control was admirable, and when Benaud gets a batsman in trouble he rarely if ever gives him a loose one. [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. 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. The matter will return to court on December 4. I used to go to matches and even went on the Hill in Sydney when he was batting with Norm O'Neill.'. 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. Kissing the bride was [tricky],' Marcia told Daily Mail Australia. He was buried on April 15 in a private funeral ceremony attended only by immediate family members. Discover the real story, facts, and details of Richie Benaud. [4] He was appointed an OBE in that year and in 1962 was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year. Richie Benaud - Bio, Personal Life, Family & Cause Of Death - CelebsAges [72] Benaud then took four wickets in the drawn Fifth Test to end the series 21. His final commentary in England came during the 2005 Ashes series, but he continued to work for Channel Nine in Australia until 2013. Ritchie Benaud pictured in 2004, when he was commentating for Channel 4. 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. 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. [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. ", 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. Explore Richie Benaud's biography, personal life, family and cause of death. "[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. 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. Their faith was rewarded by an improvement in performances. It came from Jeff and I'm glad he told me because I didn't know why.'. [92], During Benaud's captaincy, Australia did not lose a series, and became the dominant team in world cricket. [108], Benaud's distinctive speaking style has been frequently parodied on the Australian comedy series Comedy Inc. and The Twelfth Man. Marcia Benaud kept her surname 'for the sake of my sons. Richie Benaud obituary: the 'voice of cricket' was the game's shrewdest 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. Some tedious contests had been inflicted on the watching public, with more to follow in the 1960s. Richie Benaud dies aged 84 - rolling reaction The former Australia cricket captain and commentator, who played 63 Test matches, has died at the age of 84 Updated 9 Apr 2015 9 Apr 2015 Flags. Richard (Richie) Benaud, cricketer and commentator, died on April 10th, aged 84. Reaction to the death of the 'Voice of Cricket' Benaud | Reuters Cricket, commentary and the dollar: Benaud's legacy is complex 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. 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. Richie Benaud - ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) [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. Voice of Cricket Richie Benaud Dies at 84 - NDTV.com [97], In 2004, Benaud starred in a series of television advertisements for the Australian Tourism Commission, aimed at promoting Australia as a tourist destination. Up to this point, in seven matches for the season, the young all-rounder had only scored 307 runs at 27.90 and taken ten wickets at 64.80. Marcia had thought Richie's hanging up of the bat would bring him home. Richie Benaud Biography Richie Benaud Networth Tony Abbott offers family a state funeral for the former Australian leg-spinner, cricket captain and commentator. [citation needed], Benaud took over when Australian cricket was in a low phase with a young team. However, cricketers like Shane Warne, Ian Chappell, Michael Clarke among several others visited his commemoration service on the same day. Link to video: Richie Benaud became a household name for a whole new generation when he moved from the oval to the commentary box. Leading opposition batsman Everton Weekes edged Benaud in his first over, but Gil Langley dropped the catch. 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. He was with us as a player, journalist . 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. Marcia Benaud spoke of her past with Richie with laughter and tears, but said although she believed he should have never left their marriage she has made a life of contentment, politely responding that she was 'the first wife' if people asked about her name, Richie Benaud, pictured shaking the hand of Queen Elizabeth II, before the start of play during his Test cricket years, which his first wife Marcia said led to some delightful occasions, including her invitation to dine with the Queen on the Britannia when in Sydney. One of Benauds last public contributions was a touching voiceover tribute to Phillip Hughes, who died when struck by a bouncer in November 2014. In his final Ashes series, in 1962-63, the tempo reverted to that of the bad old days. Benaud removed Meckiff from the attack and did not recall him. [113][123], Benaud was buried on 15 April, in a private funeral ceremony attended only by his immediate family. At this point, Australia had already taken an unassailable 31 series lead and decided to try out some young players. Now an 85-year-old pensioner, Marcia Benaud hadn't seen Richie Benaud since the 1970s when he was contesting the maintenance paid to support her and their sons. Yes! 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. Opening the batting, he struck 135 in 110 minutes in the second innings, including an Australian record of eleven sixes, four of them in one over. Richie Benaud. Soon after television came to Australia he appeared in a commercial, tending his garden with a Victa lawnmower. 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 . Oscar Cainer tells all. He chose to end his British commentary career, which spanned more than 42 years, when the rights to broadcast live Test match cricket were lost by Channel 4 to the subscription broadcaster British Sky Broadcasting. Richie proposed to Marcia and the engaged pair planned to marry on January 15, 1953, in between the third and fourth tests against the touring South African team. Lived: 30867 days = 84 years. On Channel 4's live commentary, Benaud often made sarcastic comments regarding the advertisement of Desktop Richie. In an early tour match Benaud took his best first class innings haul of 1810187 for New South Wales against the MCC, which lost by an innings and 80 runs, the state's biggest win against the English team. [118], In November 2014, at age 84, Benaud announced that he had been diagnosed with skin cancer. [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. [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. Elder son: Greg Benaud, 60, (pictured) at the public housing cottage he shares with his mother Marcia, who married Richie Benaud in 1953 and had two sons who would only see their famous father occasionally after their parents divorced, Glamorous: Marcia Benaud, in January 1953, following her marriage to Richie, after which the newlyweds went to the Adelaide Oval where the new Mrs Benaud is pictured, above, watching her husband play a Test against South Africa, Sons of the father: Richie Benaud pictured at the beach with his two sons, Jeffrey (left) and Greg (right) in the happier days of his marriage to first wife Marcia, when he was playing Test cricket for Australia, Young beauty: Marcia Lavender was a shorthand typist when she met cricketer Richie Benaud at a Sydney city accounting firm in the early 1950s and he went on to begin his Test career. 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. The chairman of selectors, Sir Donald Bradman, made it clear that he was keen to see Test cricket rescued from a period of dull introversion, and the two captains approached the series in a positive frame of mind. There were good times when he was home at the family house in Beecroft, in Sydney's north. He scored 817 runs including four centuries, two of them in Test matches. [84][85] The draw meant that the series was shared 11, the first time he had drawn a series after five successive wins. This memorial website was created in memory of Richie Benaud, 84, born on October 6, 1930 and passed away on April 10, 2015. 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. 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. Do not sell or share my personal information. Richie Benaud dies - aged 84: sport pays tribute - The Telegraph 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. His last goodbye was interrupted by Glenn McGrath taking Kevin Pietersen's wicket; Benaud simply wove his description of the dismissal into what he was already saying. "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. In 1952-53 Benaud played against South Africa, recording a duck and having his front teeth smashed while fielding at gully in the Sydney Test, which coincided with his honeymoon. 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. [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. [55] Benaud had less of an impact on the next two Tests, which Australia lost and drew, totaling 6/244. Benaud died late on Thursday . Richie Benaud Death Anniversary: Lesser-known Facts About the 'Voice of Benaud had an ineffective match with the ball, taking 1/162. Richie Benaud's influence on cricket on and off the field is being lauded by players and fans alike, . 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. [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. His record reads 12 wins, 11 draws, one tie, and four losses from 28 Tests in charge of Australia. [18][19] In another match for New South Wales against the touring team, he took a total of 5/95. Talking about her marriage to the onetime Australian cricket captain, Ms Benaud's eyes filled with tears and she said: 'He shouldn't have left'. His first BBC radio commentary came in 1960, followed by his first television appearance three years later. Benaud's personal form was a major factor in this success. 'It was a 6pm wedding. [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. [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. '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! He was a one-off., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. [7], The 195152 season saw a tour to Australia by the West Indies. [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. Marcia Benaud told Daily Mail Australia about her mixed emotions in the days after Richie Benaud's death on April 10 this year. [29][36], It was the first of his successes against India, against whom he took his wickets at an average of 18. 'I would have liked to have gone [to the funeral]. Menu! 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. Benaud took 3/116 to complement scores of 43 and 90 on his return in the Third Test in Sydney. When South Africa followed on, Benaud took 5/84, which left Australia needing only one run to win. 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 . They were booed and heckled as they left the field and Benaud's reputation as a "go ahead" cricket captain was badly tarnished. [29][36], Benaud took part in Australia's tour of New Zealand from February to March 1957. 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. [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. [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. At the time, Ms Benaud said she was upset she hadn't been invited to her former husband's funeral. Harsha Bhogle remembers Richie Benaud on 5th death anniversary with sad 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. If I knew, when I was at school and playing in my early cricket days, the problems that would have come if I didnt do something about protection of the head and using sunscreens and all sorts of things like that, Id have played it differently. Thus, the 2005 Ashes series was the last that Benaud commentated on in Britain. [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. Richie Benaud cricketer (1930-2015) . 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). Recruited by Australian media tycoon Kerry Packer in the 1970s, Benaud would become a driving force behind World Series Cricket, his voice lending respectability to the breakaway professional circuit that would ultimately change the game. from around the world following the news of Benaud's death. Will always be remembered and admired. How Prince Harry's chat with guru who compared Hamas terrorists to Jews who battled the Nazis has appalled JAN MOIR: Goodbye Ken, the world always seemed safer with you on the airwaves, Abstaining from masturbating RAISES risk of anxiety, depression and erectile dysfunction, study warns. 'But it suited [Richie] to keep it quiet, and so that's how it was kept.'. [29], At the start of the 196364 season, Benaud announced that it would be his last at first-class level. Benaud was born in Penrith, New South Wales, in 1930. He had managed, in the 14 Tests since then, 559 runs at 27.95 and 67 wickets at 24.98. When, a few months later in England, Benaud took veteran Ray Lindwalls advice and bowled his leg-spin around the wicket into the rough, when all seemed lost in the Old Trafford Test, his wicket-taking that afternoon ensured that Australia retained the Ashes and raised the captain close to sainthood in the estimation of his team and his country. Such guarded humour as he evinced bore the touch of a man who was keen to be seen above all else as discerning. Benaud scored 78 and 68 and took a total of 5/238, his dismissals being Davidson and frontline Test batsmen in a 121-run win. Benaud embraced his players when opposition wickets fell, something that was uncommon at the time. In the next four matches, Benaud passed 15 only once, scoring a 34, and took only seven wickets. He married Marcia in 1953 and had two children with her, Gregory and. Richie Benaud's Death - Cause and Date - The Celebrity Deaths [35] He took 6/52 and 5/53, his best-ever match analysis, ending the series with 113 runs at 18.83 and 24 wickets at 17.66. CNN Former Australia cricket captain and legendary broadcaster Richie Benaud has died at the age of 84. His first series as skipper was remarkable for a number of reasons. His success was based on his ability to attack, his tactical boldness and his ability to extract more performance from his players, in particular Davidson. [4], Benaud was not a large spinner of the ball, but he was known for his ability to extract substantial bounce from the surface. Then, within the year, Richie Benaud became captain of his country. Read about our approach to external linking. He ended with 121 and took four wickets in the match as Australia won by an innings and took the series 30. [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. 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. [4] The First Test at Edgbaston was drawn with Benaud taking three wickets. He came from a cricket family, with his younger brother John Benaud also going on to become an Australian Test cricketer. . 2. He also made 113 against the touring side for the Prime Minister's XI. Richie Benaud's 90th birth anniversary celebrated in new Cricket [7] In the opening match of the season, he struck 158 and took 5/88 and 1/65 against Queensland. '"[116], In October 2013, Benaud crashed his vintage 1965 Sunbeam Alpine into a wall while driving near his home in Coogee, a beachside suburb in Sydney's east. [7][14] Benaud ended his season with 97 and a total of 3/39 in an innings win over South Australia.[7]. Only seven runs were required with four wickets in hand as time was running short. RIP Richie Benaud. . Richie Benaud dies: Eight rules of commentary - The Independent Benaud's ad featured him in various scenic locations uttering his signature comment, "Marvellous!".