If you were picking the second biggest Australian cricket personality behind the incomparable Don Bradman, the late, great Richie Benaud deserves it.
His death at the age of 84 has fittingly resulted in heartfelt tributes right around Australia and the world.
Richie’s 248 Test wickets saw him Australia’s leading wicket-taker for almost 20 years, until being surpassed by Dennis Lillee, and he never lost a Test series as captain.
The late Norm O’Neil, one of the best batsmen in the teams Richie led between 1958 and 1964, summed it up best after Benaud had orchestrated an extraordinary and unlikely victory during the 1961 Ashes series at Old Trafford to hang onto the urn. The skipper destroyed the esteemed English batting line-up with his leg spinners, and when the players were clamouring for drinks in the ice bath after play, O’Neil’s famous line was, “Rich! Jump in and I bet you won’t get wet!”
He received some criticism, probably unjustly, in his last series as captain in 1963-64 against South Africa over the way he handled the first and only over from Victorian left-arm fast bowler, Ian Meckiff, who was constantly no balled for an illegal action.
There were thoughts at the time that Benaud should have backed Meckiff to keep bowling, and suspicions he knew Meckiff was going to be called. Discussions to this day indicate concerns over Meckiff’s action, and it had to be resolved; which it was – his cricket career sadly ended after that match.
To Richie’s credit, like everything in the sport he loved, he handled his role in the situation professionally.
He was a journalist by trade and on retirement became one of the great cricket commentators. Already an institution at the BBC, he put his considerable reputation on the line by siding with Kerry Packer and World Series Cricket in 1977, as senior consultant and head of the Channel Nine commentary team.
When Packer won the war by securing cricket’s TV rights, which resulted in WSC ending after two seasons, Benaud’s polished delivery and that beige jacket became institutions at home.
Packer was loyal to the people who backed him, especially those who supported WSC like Richie, Tony Greig and Ian Chappell. As a result, they were guaranteed jobs for life at his beloved network.
But Richie earned the right to be employed there for as long as he wanted.
When learning to become a sports broadcaster there are some basic points you must learn. On radio, it’s paint a picture and capture the moment. On TV, it’s let the pictures tell the story and then fill in the gaps.
Richie Benaud did it better than the rest on television by a country mile. He never missed a beat, and his favourite phrases and sayings were always spot on, like “Marvellous shot that!”
He was rarely critical of the game, always trying to see the positive side of cricket, which he knew had been so good to him.
A notable exception was when Greg Chappell instructed younger brother Trevor to deliver that infamous underarm delivery against New Zealand at the MCG in 1981.
Most people had the same view, but Richie’s carried more weight than most.
I saw Richie regularly at the MCG media centre for Boxing Day Tests, and one-day internationals, and to me he was royalty.
I was in awe of the great man at first, but once introduced and granted a rare interview, I was immediately put at ease by his friendliness and warmth. I knew he was passionate about the game, but didn’t realise how much until I chatted with him.
He always had a desk facing the wall at the MCG’s Ron Casey Media Centre. It hasn’t been the same the last two years without him.
In fact the game and cricket commentary will never be the same without the great man. All our memories of him though will be marvellous!
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