Within hours of his death yesterday, former Australia cricket captain and pioneering television commentator Richie Benaud was described as a “national treasure” and praised by his peers, current and former players and the country’s prime minister.
Benaud, 84, died overnight at a Sydney hospice, surrounded by his wife, Daphne, and other family members. He had been fighting skin cancer since late last year.
Fans paid respect by placing bouquets of flowers under a bronze statue of Benaud in front of the Sydney Cricket Ground, while planning began for a state funeral.
Photo: AFP
A veteran of 63 Test matches, Benaud played a pivotal role in the formation of World Series Cricket in the 1970s and was one of the world’s most recognized commentators, in Australia where he anchored the Nine Network’s cricket coverage for decades, and in Britain.
His time in the commentary box ended after a car crash in 2013 that left him with two fractured vertebrae.
“Richie Benaud’s passing has robbed us not only of a national treasure, but a lovely man,” Nine Network chief executive David Gyngell said in a statement. “Richie earned the profound and lasting respect of everyone across the world of cricket and beyond. First as an outstanding player and captain, then as an incomparable commentator and through it all, as a wonderful human being.”
Australian Test captain Michael Clarke said Benaud was a gentleman who played cricket in the right spirit.
“He was a great player and a great captain; a wonderful leader of men and he continued that off the field,” Clarke said. “He loved winning. He helped the Australian team have the attitude where they wanted to win. He played the game the right way.”
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Benaud would be “very, very much missed.”
“There would hardly be an Australian over the last 40 years who hasn’t listened to Richie Benaud,” Abbott said.
Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards said: “Our country has lost a national treasure.”
“After Don Bradman, there has been no Australian player more famous or more influential than Richie Benaud,” Edwards said in a statement. “Richie stood at the top of the game throughout his rich life, first as a record-breaking leg-spinner and captain, and then as cricket’s most famous broadcaster who became the iconic voice of our summer.”
Former International Cricket Council chief executive Malcolm Speed, an Australian, said: “His iconic status as a commentator and the godfather of Australian cricket — it’s just unparalleled.”
Benaud was working as a professional journalist when he was appointed captain of Australia for the first time in the 1958-1959 series against England. He took 31 wickets at an average of 18 in the 4-0 series victory and held the job until his final series in 1963-1964.
A colorful performer, he bowled with the top buttons of his shirt undone, and was a pioneer of the exuberant celebration, rushing up to his teammates after taking a wicket.
Later generations knew Benaud best as a commentator and presenter. His witty observations — he once described Glenn McGrath as being dismissed “just 98 runs short of a century” — and elongated vowel pronunciations were affectionately impersonated by fans the world over.
On Twitter, McGrath said: “Very sad news... We’ve lost a true Aussie icon.”
Indian great Sachin Tendulkar said on Twitter he “fondly” remembered having a discussion with Benaud and Shane Warne “on the art of leg spin.”
“Great loss to the world of cricket. Heartfelt condolences to Richie’s family and friends,” he said.
Warne took to Instagram to post a photo of an introspective Benaud, along with the words: “I’ve known you & Daphne for close to 30 years & to everyone you were a legend on all levels & rightly so too. As a cricketer, commentator & as a person, you were the best there’s ever been & to top it off, an absolute gentleman.”
Billy Birmingham, who made a career from impersonating Benaud and other commentators in his comic Twelfth Man recordings, said he was: “Very sad. Quite nauseous, actually. Struggling to find the right words. Disoriented. Incomparable, irreplaceable, the one and only.’’
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
Harry Kane opened the scoring ahead of lifting his first career silverware as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, with veteran Thomas Mueller playing his last home game for the club. Bayern officially won the title on May 4 when defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, but were presented with the Bundesliga shield in front of their home fans at full-time. Dripping wet after being showered with beer by teammates, Kane said the title win was “an incredible feeling,” and hoped it would be “the first of many.” “It’s been lot of hard work, a lot of
INTER AWAIT: Superb saves by PSG ’keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma inspired the victory, as Arsenal were punished for misses, including one by Bukayo Saka Arsenal on Wednesday fell short on the big stage again as their painful UEFA Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options. Arteta’s side were unable to reach the Champions League final for the first time in 19 years as PSG clinched a tense 2-1 win at Parc des Princes. Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg in London, the Gunners made a blistering start to the second leg, but could not convert their chances as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s superb saves inspired PSG’s 3-1 aggregate victory. Arsenal were punished for
Taiwanese e-sports veteran Lin “ET” Chia-hung yesterday successfully defended his King of Fighters XV title at this year’s Evolution Championship Series: Japan (EVO Japan), securing his second consecutive championship. Lin claimed victory with a 3-1 win over Japanese pro gamer “mok” in the grand final, repeating his earlier 3-1 win against the same opponent in the winners’ final. The 40-year-old earned a ￥1 million (US$6,897) cash prize at the two-day tournament, which drew 294 competitors. Mok, Lin’s toughest rival in the bracket, took home ￥400,000 as runner-up. Lin remains undefeated in match sets against mok in King of Fighters XV, holding a 10-0 record,
RSS