Famous Cricketers No 100 - Richie Benaud

such as Glenn Turner, Derek Underwood, Max Walker, Greg Chappell and Dennis Lillee. They won the series 2-1, the highlight being a devastating spell of 7/27 from Lillee as the Wanderers raced against the clock for victory at Johannesburg. The boycott against South Africa because of its apartheid policy was in place at this time, though this tour should not be seen in the same vein as the later ‘Rebel’ tours. The Wanderers team only played in matches where it was guaranteed that racial segregation would not occur in ticketing or service for the crowd. At one point, Benaud threatened to put his team on the next plane home if one of the bar staff didn’t overturn his refusal to serve a black man at the bar. The Wanderers’ opponents were also made to play three non-white players, a move that is strikingly similar to the affirmative action policies now in place in South African cricket. The most sensational chapter in Benaud’s post-cricket career was his involvement with Kerry Packer’s breakaway World Series Cricket. When Packer was formulating his audacious plans for the competition, Ian Chappell suggested he approach Benaud’s sports consultancy agency. Chappell knew that Benaud, with his concern for the welfare of the players and the long-term survival of the game, coupled with his openness to innovation, would be an ideal signing. Both his skills and his prestige made him an invaluable asset. The reaction from the press, with few exceptions, was openly hostile, with Daphne’s former employer, E.W.Swanton, amongst the most critical. Some English journalists even placed a notice in The Times ‘In affectionate remembrance of International Cricket’, echoing the famous satirical announcement which gave birth to the Ashes almost a century earlier. Some members of the cricketing establishment, with whom Benaud had long been friendly, were outraged, seeing Benaud’s actions as those of a traitor. Don Bradman, his friend and supporter at the selection table, refused to take his call. Another chum, Brian Johnston, continued talking to Benaud on the condition the pair never discussed World Series Cricket. Meanwhile, Benaud, industrious as ever, prepared a nine-page ‘battle strategy’ for Packer, which warned the magnate that the ACB administrators would be formidable and advised him to call a press conference announcing that WSC would be running a coaching scheme for children, involving its contracted players. Benaud was heavily involved in the organisational aspects of the new competition and was also a member of the rules committee, at one point expressing concern that the establishment may have legal possession of the game’s laws. Henry Blofeld claimed that Benaud had designs on starting his own cricket competition before the advent of World Series Cricket and it is possible that the Wanderers’ tour was a move in this direction. At the least it provided Benaud with valuable experience in the logistics of organising professional sport. But nothing could have prepared Benaud for the chaos that was to come. Uncertainty reigned as legal action loomed and some WSC players made noises about getting out of their contracts. Crowds for the first games of the new competition were dismal; video footage reveals the surreal spectacle of the star-studded West Indian side playing an Australian outfit with one stand occupied by a lone spectator. Behind closed doors, there was a rare show of vulnerability from Benaud as he told a group of contracted players: “I can’t adequately describe the feeling of despair I felt when I heard myself described in London as a ‘disapproved person’. It was – well, hard to take”. Reports from the time describe Benaud as looking “sheepish” and “uneasy” in public appearances. These are small details, perhaps, but unusual cracks in the calm surface of this most unflappable character. Whatever Kerry Packer’s motivations for starting the series were (he once conceded that a description of him as “half philanthropic” was too generous) there is no doubt Benaud felt he was acting in the best interests of the game. He had long been concerned for the welfare of the players and had criticised board members separating players from their wives on long tours. He recently told Mike Coward “The administration never cared” and explained that the issue of player payments “was something talked about over the years but something never, ever acted upon by any of the 10