Famous Cricketers No 100 - Richie Benaud

advertisements, his favourite phrases (“super shot, that”, “marvellous effort”) having long since passed into cultural ubiquity. Everyone, it seems, has a favourite piece of Benaud commentary. Many remember his comment after a six Ian Botham hit during his fabled 1981 Headingley innings: “No need to look for that one, because you won’t find it, it’s gone straight into the confectionary stall and out again”. A personal favourite was his commentary on a miraculous catch Ricky Ponting took at short leg in a one-sided Test against Zimbabwe at the SCG. “Well” Benaud said after one of those characteristic pauses, “you won’t see a better catch than that”. It looks simple on paper, but it was a perfect illustration of what seems to be his unwritten mantra as a commentator – give the viewer time to take in what has happened, then add to the moment, don’t dominate it. Recently, the Royal Television Association honoured Benaud with a lifetime achievement award for his commentary, which has seen him watch over five hundred Test matches. The Association paid tribute to a man whose “broadcasts bring us unparalleled knowledge and insight” and noted that “every day for this remarkable person is as exciting as the day before”. ‘Living Legend’ – Benaud’s place in the game’s history A recent special by Inside Edge magazine which ranked Australia’s greatest players listed Benaud at number nine. A similar exercise by ESPN saw him achieve the same placing amongst Australians and ranked him 36 th overall. The statistically-minded cricket lover would perhaps question these high placings, pointing to superior figures achieved by Charlie Macartney and Alan Davidson, for example. It is sometimes said that a genuine all-rounder is one that can hold their place in the team either as a batsman or a bowler. Benaud did not quite fit into this category, indeed only a handful of players ever have, and was left out of the team, of which he was captain, in 1961 when he was unable to bowl. While his batting record at Shield level (3749 runs at 39.05) is comparable with specialist bats, at Test level his batting record is more comfortably compared with someone like Richard Hadlee or Ray Lindwall – a free-flowing lower-order player who could, on his day, be a match-winner with the bat. Impressive as Benaud’s statistical record is, it does not come close to recording his overall worth to his team or to the game. He is perhaps best seen as a cricketer in the tradition of Monty Noble or Warwick Armstrong, a fine all-rounder who may not be quite in the class of Sir Garfield Sobers, Keith Miller or Imran Khan, but one who introduced new levels of professionalism to the game, one who contributed greatly well after playing his final game. Certainly, one figure that rated Benaud very highly was Don Bradman. In selecting his best-ever Australian team, Bradman chose Benaud as twelfth man. A Real All-Rounder – Benaud’s doings Although Benaud is not one to socialise with the current players or hang about in dressing rooms, he has been a significant influence on the cricketers that have followed him. In particular, he was a mentor figure to Ian Chappell, hardly an individual known for his unquestioning faith in his elders. He was also a father figure to a young Neil Hawke, who deferred to him as “Mr.Benaud” when he first joined the Australian team. But perhaps most famously, he has taken a special interest in the career of Shane Warne. Warne wrote that Benaud “is always available, but never pushy…He offers ideas and comments in that understated, quiet manner that makes his TV commentary so good”. Younger players see him as a guru and often seek him out. Ian Healy recalls asking Benaud if he would come out to dinner with him and some team-mates. Benaud replied that he would be delighted to join Healy, 12