 Benaud in 1956 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Richard Benaud | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 6 October 1930 Penrith, New South Wales, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 10 April 2015 (aged 84) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm leg spin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | All-rounder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | John Benaud (brother) Marcia Lavender (m. 1953-1967); 2s Daphne Surfleet (m. 1967-2015) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 190) | 25 January 1952 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 12 February 1964 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1948–1964 | New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 22 December 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Richard Benaud OBE (/ˈbɛnoʊ/; 6 October 1930 – 10 April 2015) was an Australian cricketer who played for New South Wales and Australia. Following his retirement from international cricket in 1964, Benaud became a highly regarded commentator on the game.
Benaud was a Test cricket all-rounder, blending leg spin bowling with lower-order batting aggression. 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. In 1958, he became Australia's Test captain until his retirement in 1964. He became the first player to reach 200 wickets and 2,000 runs in Test cricket, reaching the milestone in 1963.[1]
Gideon Haigh described him as "perhaps the most influential cricketer and cricket personality since the Second World War."[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]
- ^ "Vale Richie Benaud 1930–2015". Cricket Australia. Archived from the original on 11 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- ^ "Richie Benaud". Cricinfo. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
- ^ "Cricinfo review of Benaud autobiography: Anything But". content-www1.cricinfo.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2006.