Richard "Richie" Benaud, OBE (/ˈbɛnoʊ/; born 6 October 1930), is a former Australian cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game.Benaud was a Test cricket all-rounder, blending thoughtful leg spin bowling with lower-order batting aggression. Along with fellow bowling all-rounder Alan Davidson, he helped restore Australia to 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.Gideon Haigh described him as "... perhaps the most influential cricketer and cricket personality since the Second World War." In his review of Benaud's autobiography Anything But, Sri Lankan cricket writer Harold de Andrado wrote: "Richie Benaud possibly next to Sir Don Bradman has been one of the greatest cricketing personalities as player, researcher, writer, critic, author, organiser, adviser and student of the game."
Wisden Cricketers of the Year, Logie Award for Most Outstanding Sports Broadcaster
Star Sign
Libra
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Trademark
1
"Marvellous"
2
"Two"
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Quote
1
But I think the only thing that annoys me about that is if I suddenly find someone on commercial radio or something like that, mimicking my voice or actions and trying to promote a product and pretending it's me doing it.
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Writing is difficult all the time; the thing is to learn something every day.
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Rory Bremner I have no problem with; he is a satirist, and a very funny one, too.
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It was sad leaving the BBC; not quite like being divorced, but you don't leave after a period stretching from 1960 to 1999 without feeling a certain number of pangs.
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'Mullygrubber' is an Australian term which means something that creeps along the ground; it's like a little grub.
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I know it's more five-star now than it was then, but it's still a difficult tour. In the same way as India and Pakistan players find it difficult coming to Australia. People sometimes have difficulty believing that.
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The only thing that really annoys me is when all of a sudden you hear yourself on the radio advertising Smith's tyre shop or Blenkinsop's jam. They simply can't do that. And in Australia, occasionally I have to take action.
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In fact, as a spin bowler, you have to work on the batsman over after over.
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Coogee is a delightful, slightly old-fashioned suburb; it has parks and gardens and reserves, a good well-kept beach, and an excellent promenade above the beach. It is a suburb for people who appreciate those aspects of life.
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Media were never allowed into an Australian dressing room until I became skipper. I changed that and invited them in at the close of play each day, thereby confirming for many administrators they had appointed a madman as captain.
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My mantra is: put your brain into gear and if you can add to what's on the screen then do it, otherwise shut up.
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Captaincy is 90 per cent luck and 10 per cent skill. But don't try it without that 10 per cent.
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From our broadcasting box you can't see any grass at all. It is simply a carpet of humanity.
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The slow-motion replay doesn't show how fast the ball was really travelling.
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The hallmark of a great captain is the ability to win the toss, at the right time.
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A cricket ground is a flat piece of earth with some buildings around it.
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Any captain can only do his best for the team and for cricket. When you are winning, you are a hero. Lose, and the backslappers fade away.
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The problem with relying on nostalgia for commentary is that people only remember the good things.
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When my hair is long enough to be cut, I go to my wife's hairdresser, and she generally pays for it.
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Fact
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The elder brother of the cricketer John Benaud.
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The doyen of television broadcasting for 45 years, initially with the BBC (1964-1999) and subsequently with Channel Four (1999-2005). He announced his intention to broadcast solely on free-to-air Australian television, following the move of UK TV cricket coverage to Sky in 2006.
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He has visited a village in France called Benaud and is, in fact, the President of French cricket.
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Former Australian Test cricket captain
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Channel Nine Cricket
1979-2011
TV Series
Himself - Commentator / Himself - Host / Commentator
BBC News 24
2005-2006
TV Series
Himself
20 to 1
2006
TV Series documentary
Himself
The Ashes: The Greatest Series
2005
Video documentary
Himself - Commentator
5 News
2005
TV Series
Himself
Richard & Judy
2005
TV Series
Himself
The Greatest Test
2005
Video documentary
Himself - Commentator
Richie Benaud's Greatest XI
2004
Video
Himself - Presenter
Today at the Test
2000
TV Series
Himself - Commentator (2000-2005)
100th Test Match at Lord's: The Ultimate Test
2000
Video
Himself - Commentator
MCC Cricket Masterclass: Vol.1
1994
Video
Himself
Cricket: The Match Winners
1992
Video
Himself - Presenter
Benson & Hedges World Cup Cricket
1992
TV Mini-Series
Himself - Commentator
Cricket: The 60's
1991
Video
Himself - Presenter / Commentator
Cricket: The 70's
1991
Video
Himself - Presenter / Commentator
Cricketing Legends: Imran Khan
1991
Video
Himself
Cricketing Legends: Richard Hadlee
1991
Video
Himself
Cricketing Legends: Viv Richards
1991
Video
Himself
Cricketing Legends: Ian Botham
1990
Video
Himself
Cricketing Legends: Ray Illingworth
1989
Video
Himself
On Top Down Under
1987
Video
Himself - Commentator
The Ashes: Victory in Australia
1987
Video
Himself - Commentator
BBC TV Cricket
1975-1987
TV Series
Himself - Commentator
Texaco Trophy 1984: England vs West Indies
1984
Video
Himself - Commentator
Prudential World Cup Cricket 1983
1983
TV Mini-Series
Himself - Commentator
Botham's Ashes
1981
Video
Himself - Commentator
Grandstand
1977
TV Series
Himself - Cricket: Jubilee Test commentator
This Is Your Life
1975
TV Series
Himself
Look at Life: Cricket on Test
1965
Documentary short
Himself - Commentator
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Britain on Film
2013
TV Series documentary
Himself
Gruen Sweat
2012
TV Series documentary
Himself
Fire in Babylon
2010
Documentary
Himself - Commentator
Postcards
2004
TV Series
Himself
Not Cricket: The Basil d'Oliveira Conspiracy
2004
TV Movie documentary
Himself (uncredited)
Century of Cricket
2001
Video
Himself - Commentator
Clive Lloyd's Finest Hour
1989
Video
Himself - Commentator
John Arlott's Vintage Cricket
1986
Video
Himself - Commentator
Known for movies
Channel Nine Cricket (1979-2011) as Himself - Commentator / Commentator / Himself - Host
Richie Benaud's Greatest XI (2004) as Himself - Presenter
The Ashes: The Greatest Series (2005) as Himself - Commentator
$8 Million
