The world has just been giving tribute to Richie Benaud, the legendary Australian cricket captain and legendary cricket commentator, who recently died at the age of 84. A pioneering leg-spinning bowler, Benaud batted in the test arena for Australia between 1954 and 1960. After retirement, he became a successful writer and commentator and is best known for his cricketing book about the game, which was called ‘A Cricket Life.’
Richie Benaud Biography
Richie Benaud was born in Rydges in Victoria. He played eleven Tests for Australia and in the same year became the first all-around player to be appointed Test captain by the Australian coach Brian Long. Richie’s first of many diverse interests included riding bulls, bull riding, tennis, golf and sailing. A close friend of Richie Benaud, Mark Hamilton, once said that the body measurements of Richie Benaud were the result of “a good head, a wicked hand and a lot of practice.”
Estimates suggest that he is worth around two hundred thousand pounds (US dollars); however, there are reports that have Richie Benaud’s net worth between two hundred and three hundred thousand pounds. Richie’s most lucrative years were during the late sixties and early seventies, where he was a regular on both the sports and chat shows. As well as his success on the sports show circuit, he developed a reputation for being a good caller in the music industry and also acted in some movies.
Richie Benaud’s trivia should include an insight into his life as a person. He did not start out as an “Aussie” – he was originally from Adelaide, South Australia and lived in London for a number of years before moving back to Cricket Hill in Australia. It was here where he honed his skills as a calligrapher, tennis player and also grew a passion for the game of Cricket. His first biography would make mention of the fact that he joined the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, where he was elected to the Cricket Hall of Fame in 1979. Later that same year, he was awarded the Order of the Golden Jubilee by Queen Elizabeth II.
Richie’s other great achievement within Australia would be his induction into the International Cricket Hall of Fame. Here he is joined by several other great cricketers, including Steve Waring, Brian Broad and John Kingston. This article gives an insight into some of Richie Benaud’s early days and also gives details about his successful career as a cricket player, as well as his many awards for his contributions to the sport. Richie’s biography would thus end with a summing up of his many achievements in the field of cricket and his overall persona.
His many achievements as a cricket player have earned him a place in the hearts of all fans of the game. In fact, he is most popularly known as the “Cricket Kid” or the” Australians” because he constantly supported and tried to help them during their days of defeat. His work as a mentor has also gone down a good way. Other than his achievements on the field, he has also managed to achieve some notable achievements off the field, like getting engaged to supermodel Rebekah Brooks and going into the acting profession.
Сareer History
A quick yet excellent batsman, Benaud became a respected leader in the field of cricket with his accurate and fluent commentary on the sport. Though he began as a part-time player for New South Wales Kangaroos in the second team, he made his international debut in Tests when he was 23 years of age and scored his first century in a well-managed match against England at the Melbourne outfield. He established himself as a key player for both the domestic and the international side in no time. He captained the Australian side for three years and helped the team win the one-day international series that the host nation won in West Indies in the early 1960s.
Though Benaud is one of those players who have achieved a lot through sheer hard work and tons of effort, he also had a great love for cricket and a huge affection for his family. Richie’s wife, Tracey, a former Miss Australia, said in an interview about her husband that his love for the game started at a very young age. His passion for cricket would take him all over the world to play for various teams, including the Hyderabad Indians in the first IPL season. Tribute to Richie Benaud can be understood on many different levels.
A Tribute to Richie Beno – His Life Achievements
Firstly, a Tribute to Richie Benaud must start with his life and achievements. His contributions to the game in his three decades as an international and one day player are countless. Cricket world records list Richie as the highest run-scorer in the history of the game. Benaud is currently the highest wicket-taker in the world, with 11 centuries, while he is tied with Kumar Sewa for the second-highest number of Test centuries. Tribute to Richie Benaud should also focus on his longevity, which is unmatched by anyone else in the cricketing world.
Tribute to Richie Benaud as a commentator and voiceover is incomplete without mentioning his contribution as an analyst for the ESPN telecast of the England v New Zealand match. Apart from being a commentary analyst, he has also presented commentary for several live telecasts of matches on the BBC. At the same time, he has also become a part of the audience behind the stumps. He hosted numerous radio and TV shows, including a popular breakfast program on the Virgin Media network. All these activities have helped him gain a considerable amount of experience in the field of commentary.
The last element in Tribute to Richie Benaud’s extensive body of work in the world of cricket commentary is his association with the England team. As an active member of the commentary team since 1996, he became one of the most experienced and knowledgeable commentators in all cricket. Not only was he an ardent supporter of the national side, but he also enjoyed his association with the tourists, as well. He hosted several television shows and was a regular contributor to the England magazine, which is published by the CCI.
All these aspects of Tribute to Richie Benaud make him an even more beloved cricket commentator and cricket captain. It was because of this admiration of his work that he was selected by both the Australian and New Zealand cricket teams as their commentator for the respective Tests and Twenty20 internationals. It was not surprising that he was immediately rewarded for this excellent performance by the respective teams. For the last twenty years or so, Benaud has successfully held the position of Cricket commentator for both the English and Australian teams. He is now an important part of the England team commentary crew.
Honours & Awards
- 2018 Elevated to Legend status in The Sport Australia Hall of Fame as the 40th official Legend
- 1985 Inducted into The Sport Australia Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural group
- 1962 Made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
- 1962 Named Wisden Cricketer of the Year