Famous Cricketers No 100 - Richie Benaud

“corpse in pads”. But Benaud valued Mackay’s unselfishness and fighting ability and recognised that his skidding medium pace could be a valuable asset on pitches that offered some movement, something that few had thought of before. Mackay’s bowling was invaluable on this tour and also in Pakistan, where his style was perfectly suited to the matting pitches. Another strong performer on this tour was Wally Grout, who took 21 dismissals to set a new record for an Ashes series. Like Marsh and Lillee or Healy and Warne, Benaud and Grout formed a prolific combination, based on mutual respect and a kind of preternatural understanding of each other’s games. Benaud rated Grout the finest keeper he played with and Grout, in turn, saw Benaud as the best spinner he ever kept to. Grout later wrote that he felt he could pick which ball Benaud was going to bowl from his body language. Like Benaud, Grout was an expert at highlighting a batsman’s weaknesses and often gave Benaud tips on how to attack a batsman. The series-defining moment came at Manchester, one of his greatest triumphs. Benaud famously told Harvey, his deputy, that their chances of saving the match were gone and the only way now was to win it. Earlier, he had come up with the idea of going around the wicket and pitching his leg-break into the footmarks left by Freddie Trueman. It is unclear whether the idea was initially Benaud’s and he merely ran it by Ray Lindwall, who was at the game, or whether the latter actually came up with the idea. While the exact origins of this plan may have been lost, it took rare nerve and skill to execute the idea and it stands as a telling achievement to Benaud’s attacking methods, his self-belief and flair for the unorthodox. England were coasting at 1/123, needing only 132 runs to clinch the match. Ted Dexter was in murderous form, having raced to 76 in just 84 minutes. But shortly after Benaud went around the wickets, Dexter misjudged one of the cover drives he had been hitting so well and Wally Grout safely accepted the edge. Peter May came in next. With no fielder behind square leg, May went for a sweep, missed, and was bowled around his legs. A famous image captures the contrasting fortunes of the two captains at this moment – May looking back at his stumps, disbelieving, Benaud ecstatic, throwing his arms to the heavens. Brian Close was next in and only needed to stay in for half an hour to guide England home. Despite May’s dismissal to the sweep, Close remained convinced that this stroke was the way to counter Benaud’s tactics. After a few unsuccessful attempts at this shot, he advanced down the wicket to Benaud and played a lofted drive for six. The next ball he top-edged a ball that pitched in the rough and it ballooned straight to Norman O’Neill, who had just been moved by Benaud in another uncanny field placement. Suddenly, the pressure was all on England. He removed stubborn opener Raman Subba Row, then accounted for Allen and Murray, both caught by Simpson at slip. He’d taken 6 wickets for thirty runs in his spell. Then he caught Trueman, who had nicked a Simpson leg-break and Davidson sealed the match by bowling Brian Statham. This was Benaud’s finest hour, a performance to rank with Spofforth’s heroics at The Oval, 1882 or Steve Waugh’s double century at Kingston, 1995, as an unforgettable moment in Australian cricket. Along with the tied Test, this spell is still the one that most people comment on to Benaud. He is sure to remind them that at one stage his figures stood at 0/40 after taking 0/80 in the first innings. It remains a favourite memory for him – “Still a spine tingler” he says contentedly. The match at Manchester was a miniature of the tour as a whole. Defeat was looming, he was troubled by injury, his figures were not looking great, but it ended in triumph. He received an OBE for his efforts and was increasingly recognised as an all-round talent, receiving a book deal and joining the BBC as a reporter. One observer wrote that “Benaud’s leadership was rich in quality and imagination throughout a tour in which the Australian spread joy and gladness”. Wisden concurred, naming Benaud as one of its Five Cricketers of the Year. It concluded : “Richie Benaud and his team contributed to a rekindling of all that is best in cricket”. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 191. Australians v Worcestershire, Worcester, April 29, May 1, 2 (Match drawn) * (7) b N.Gifford 1 177 17 10 19 2 M.J.Horton b 155 D.W.Richardson lbw (7) b L.J.Coldwell 17 141 6 2 13 1 M.J.Horton b 56-4 192. Australians v Surrey, Kennington Oval, May 13, 15, 16 (Australians won by ten wickets) * (6) b G.A.R.Lock 2 341-7d 161 52