10-04-2015, 06:14 AM
3
Re: RIP - Richie Benaud
Ten of the many reasons why Richie Benaud is an Australian legend
There are so many reasons why Richie Benaud was an Australian legend. We could have made a list of 100, but here are 10 ways we reckon he was an absolute champion on and off the cricket field.
1. He was the undisputed voice of cricket: "Maaaarvelllous." "Super shot that." His lilt was so familiar that your blind grandmother could recognise his voice on the TV (and mine did). He was the last great broadcaster with a BBC-Australian accent. Pure class.
2. The cricket sartorialist: His cream commentary sports coats were legendary. The cream, the bone, the off white, the ivory and the beige (see 12th Man below).
3. He was a local Sydney lad: Richie came from Penrith and went to Parramatta High.
4. Shane Warne: Benaud was the first properly attacking spin bowler in Test cricket, paving the way for Shane Warne, and was not surpassed until Warne's ascent some 27 years later.
5. He was a modern professional cricketer before his time: Charismatic with a distinctive style and excellent instincts for public relations.
6. He was a cultural icon: During his playing days he had Brylcreemed hair and wore his shirt unbuttoned. Fellow commentator Bill Lawry said last summer: "He would burst through the gate with the shirt open, the Brylcreem and the tan."
"It was just magnificent. Forget the skin cancer, Richie, you looked beautiful back then, don't worry about that," Lawry said.
7. He was a staunch defender of cricket on free-to-air TV: As such, he ended his English commentary career after the 2005 Ashes when Channel 4 lost the coverage rights to Sky Sports.
8. He inspired an entire genre of Australian satire: "Two hundred and twenty two for two." The 12th Man was based upon his commentary and, of course, the rest of the Nine commentary team. Comedian Billy Birmingham produced eight albums over 22 years from 1984 to 2006, with a global following in the UK, South Africa and New Zealand.
9. He was an old-school police reporter. Unlike a lot of modern sports broadcasters he rose up through the ranks. Richie started his journalistic career at The Sun in Sydney, as a police roundsman, before moving into sports, and then working his way into radio and TV.
10. He was 1962 Wisden Cricketer of the Year: The cricketer's bible had this to say at the time, "If one player, more than any other, has deserved well of cricket for lifting the game out of the doldrums, that man is Richard Benaud. Captain of Australia in four successive and triumphant series to the end of 1961, he has demonstrated to enthusiasts all over the world that the intention to make cricket, particularly Test cricket, attractive and absorbing is every bit as important as skilled technique in batting, bowling and fielding. He has succeeded in his aim to re-create interest in cricket because he loves playing it."
(SMH)
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