Benaud had contributed 246 runs at 41 and taken wickets steadily to total 18 at 26. 94, averages which were in line with those of specialist batsmen and bowlers.

Harvey and Benaud had been captains of their respective states until Harvey moved in the same season for employment purposes from Victoria to New South Wales and became Benaud's deputy.

Benaud had little prior leadership experience, and faced the task of recovering the Ashes from an England team which had arrived in Australia as favourites.

Benaud had contributed 91 runs at 15. 16 and 29 wickets at 19. 59.

The first two seasons of the Benaud captaincy had been a resounding success, with Australia winning eight, drawing four and losing only one Test.

Australia had fallen to 6 / 92 on the final day chasing a target of 233 with Benaud and Davidson at the crease.

Benaud had an unpenetrative match with the ball, taking 1 / 162.

Benaud had a heavy load in the match taking 8 / 199 after Davidson tore a hamstring mid-match.

After Harvey led the team to victory at Lord's, Benaud had an unhappy return in the Third at Headingley scoring two runs in two innings and taking match figures of 2 / 108 as Australia lost within three days.

Benaud had a poor series with the bat, scoring 45 runs at 9 and taking 15 wickets at 32. 53.

Benaud was another contender with 219 wickets, but it was Statham who broke the record ( only to be overtaken by Trueman in New Zealand ) and Benaud had to be content with breaking Ray Lindwall's Australian record of 228 Test wickets.

It was announced on 15 November 2009, that Benaud had signed a three-year agreement with the Nine Network to continue being part of their cricket coverage until 2013, although his role would change from that of ball-by-ball commentary.

In 1967 Benaud married Daphne Surfleet, who had worked for the English cricket writer E. W.

It was a parody of Paul Hardcastle's number one hit, 19, with Bremner impersonating cricket commentators, including Richie Benaud and Brian Johnston, and replacing references to the Vietnam War with references to the England cricket team's disastrous 1984 home series against the West Indies in which the England captain David Gower had averaged 19.

In the Fifth Test, Lawry had been ordered by captain Richie Benaud to occupy the crease and play out for a draw.

He had batted in all for 263 minutes, and his 94 runs included only two fours ; but Benaud ’ s defensive field-placing had contributed to that ".

However, both Harvey and Benaud had been criticised for their attitude towards Johnson in an official report to the board about the 1956 tour.

In this match, Benaud had captained New South Wales and the hosts had the better of the play.

Lindwall had taken 19 wickets at 20. 16 in just three and a half Tests for the series, and Australia seemed unlikely to find replacements for their leading strike pair anytime soon ; their eventual successors Richie Benaud and Alan Davidson were still to become regular internationals.

After scoring 40 in an innings victory in the Fourth Test in Madras, Australia needed a draw in the Fifth Test in Calcutta with four players injured or ill, while Benaud had a dislocated spinning finger.

At one stage, New South Wales were six wickets down with less than 150 runs scored, but Benaud refused to attempt to defend for a draw.

An incident in the second Test of the 1960 – 61 series involved the West Indies player Joe Solomon being given out after his hat fell on the stumps after being bowled at by Richie Benaud.

Richard " Richie " Benaud OBE (; 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 went on to dismiss tail-ender Alf Valentine for his first Test wicket, conceding 14 runs from 4. 3 overs.

Benaud went on to play in the final four Tests.

In the Second Test at Cape Town, Benaud took 4 / 95 and then 5 / 49 in the second innings to secure an innings victory after the home team were forced to follow on.

When South Africa followed on, Benaud took 5 / 84, which left Australia needing only one run to win.

Benaud took 3 / 116 to complement scores of 43 and 90 on his return in the Third Test in Sydney.

Benaud has become a staunch advocate of cricket being available on free-to-view TV.

Thus, the 2005 Ashes series was the last that Benaud commentated on in Britain.

In the case of the latter, comedian Billy Birmingham's impersonations of Benaud on The Twelfth Man comedy recordings have become legendary, spanning over twenty years.

", " Well, the answer to that ", Benaud replied, " If there is, as there always can be, some emergency or a sensational happening on or off the field where it would be quite ridiculous not to go into the commentary box, of course I'll be in there doing my job and doing it as professionally as I can.

statistical profile on Richie Benaud

At an awards dinner at the end of the season, Australian commentator Richie Benaud, upon seeing Hadlee hobble up to the stage on crutches, said later that he thought Hadlee " would never play cricket again.

As befits the name ( a reference to the non-playing reserve in an eleven-player cricket side ), Birmingham particularly focuses on cricket commentators such as Richie Benaud, Bill Lawry and Tony Greig.

This law also applies if part of the batsman's equipment is dislodged and hits the stumps: Dwayne Bravo hit Kevin Pietersen in the head with a bouncer and his helmet hit the stumps during the 2007 England vs West Indies Test match at Old Trafford ; a topspinner from Richie Benaud once knocked off Joe Solomon's cap, and the cap landed on Solomon's stumps.

The first statue commissioned was of bowler Richie Benaud and was unveiled on 4 January 2008 by Benaud himself.

Commentating on the match, Richie Benaud called Hughes's actions " as curious a captaincy decision as I have ever seen ".

Following the retirement of Richie Benaud, Booth was appointed as the vice-captain under Simpson as Australia embarked on a successful 1964 tour of England, which saw the retention of the Ashes.

In the Second Test at Lord's in 1961, when Benaud was injured, Harvey led the team in the " Battle of the Ridge " on an erratic surface, grinding out a hard fought victory.

At one stage, Australia were left with only 10 men on the field when Benaud excused himself and his replacement succumbed to illness, requiring an Englishman to stand in.

Benaud returned for the Third Test, when England levelled the series despite twin half-centuries of 73 and 53 from Harvey, who top-scored in both innings on a dustbowl in a match that lasted only three days.