Richie Benaud

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Richie Benaud
Personal information
Full nameRichard Benaud
Born(1930-10-06)6 October 1930
Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
Died10 April 2015(2015-04-10) (aged 84)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
NicknameRichie
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm leg spin
RoleAll-rounder, commentator
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 190)25 January 1952 v West Indies
Last Test12 February 1964 v South Africa
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1948–1964New South Wales
Career statistics
Competition Tests First-class
Matches 63 259
Runs scored 2201 11719
Batting average 24.45 36.50
100s/50s 3/9 23/61
Top score 122 187
Balls bowled 19108 60481
Wickets 248 945
Bowling average 27.03 24.73
5 wickets in innings 16 56
10 wickets in match 1 9
Best bowling 7/72 7/18
Catches/stumpings 65/– 254/–
Source: Cricinfo, 22 December 2007

Richard "Richie" Benaud OBE (/ˈbɛn/; 6 October 1930 – 10 April 2015) was an Australian cricketer. After his retirement from international cricket in 1964, he became a well-known commentator on the game.

Early life[change | change source]

Benaud was born in Penrith, New South Wales. His parents were of French descent. He was raised in Sydney. Benaud studied at Parramatta High School.

Career[change | change source]

Benaud was a Test cricket all-rounder. Along with fellow bowling all-rounder Alan Davidson, he helped Australia to be at 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.

Illness and death[change | change source]

In November 2014, Benaud announced that he was diagnosed with skin cancer, aged 84.[1] He died in his sleep on 10 April 2015 in Sydney.[2][3] Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott offered a state funeral for Benaud, but his family rejected the offer.[4]

Books[change | change source]

  • The Way of Cricket (1961)
  • A Tale of Two Tests (1962)
  • Spin Me a Spinner (1963)
  • The New Champions (1966)
  • Willow Patterns (1969)
  • Test Cricket (1982)
  • World Series Cup Cricket 1981–82 (1982)
  • The Hottest Summer (1983)
  • The Ashes 1982–83 (1983)
  • Benaud on reflection (1984)
  • The Appeal of Cricket (1995)
  • Anything But (1998)
  • My Spin on Cricket (2005)
  • Over But Not Out (2010)

References[change | change source]

  1. Richie Benaud diagnosed with cancer Archived 2014-11-10 at the Wayback Machine, ninemsn, 10 November 2014
  2. "Cricket great Richie Benaud dies". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  3. Richie Benaud Obituary, ABC News Australia, 10 April, 2015
  4. "Australia offers state funeral for Richie Benaud". BBC News. 10 April 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.

Other websites[change | change source]

Media related to Richie Benaud at Wikimedia Commons