Benaud was a Test cricket all-rounder, blending thoughtful leg spin bowling with lower-order batting aggression.

Benaud was born in Penrith, New South Wales in 1930.

It was here that Richie Benaud grew up, learning how to bowl leg breaks, googlies and topspinners under his father's watch.

In November 1948, at the age of 18, Benaud was selected for the New South Wales Colts, the state youth team.

In his early career, Benaud was a batting all-rounder, marked by a looping backlift which made him suspect against fast bowling but allowed him to have a wide attacking stroke range.

Benaud was recalled to the New South Wales First XI in late December for the Christmas and New Year's fixtures.

Benaud erroneously recalled in an autobiography that this was his maiden wicket — it was his fourth — and described the ball as " the worst I ever bowled ".

The next season, England toured Australia, and with the Test players back, Benaud was initially forced out of the team.

Benaud was cementing his position and was in the senior team for four consecutive matches even with the Test players available.

Despite this, Benaud was chosen for his Test debut in the Fifth Test against the West Indies in 1951-52 in Sydney.

Although his form with the willow dropped off in his remaining six matches before the Tests — a 35 was his only score beyond 20 in seven attempts — Benaud continued to strike regularly with the ball.

In eight first-class matches after his Test campaign was over, Benaud added a further half-century in addition to the century against Pearce's XI, and took 22 more wickets, including 4 / 20 against the Gentlemen of England.

After returning home from his first overseas tour, Benaud was prolific during the 1953 – 54 Australian season, which was purely domestic with no touring Test team.

Despite his inability to contribute with either bat or ball in England, Benaud was the only bowler selected for all five Tests of the 1954-55 series when England visited Australia.

After a break in the international calendar of a year, the 1957-58 tour to South Africa heralded the start of a phase of three international seasons when Benaud was at his peak.

When Ian Craig fell ill at the start of the 1958-59 season, Benaud was promoted to the captaincy ahead of vice-captain Neil Harvey.

Benaud took over when Australian cricket was in a low phase with a young team.

Australia needed six runs from the final over, in which Benaud was caught and the last two wickets fell to run outs while attempting the winning run.

Australia won the series 2 – 1, and although Benaud was below his best, scoring at 21. 77 and taking 23 wickets at 33. 87, the series was a success for cricket.

The First Test at Edgbaston was drawn with Benaud taking three wickets.

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.

Eulogies were given by Richie Benaud and Governor-General Sir William Deane.

In the next Shield match against Victoria, led by Australian captain Lindsay Hassett, Benaud came in for attack.

Benaud scored his maiden first-class century, 117 against South Australia, in the next match, two years after falling short of the milestone by seven runs.

Benaud then struck an unbeaten 100 and totalled 1 / 64 in the next match against Western Australia before the Australians departed for England.

Benaud made a strong start to the series against India, taking 3 / 0 in the first innings of the First Test in Delhi, before a 5 / 76 second innings haul secured an innings victory.

In an early tour match Benaud took his best first class innings haul of 18-10-18-7 for New South Wales against the MCC, which lost by an innings and 80 runs, the state's biggest win against the English team.

The first Test of the season, against the touring South Africans, saw high drama as Australia's left arm paceman Ian Meckiff was called for throwing by Colin Egar and removed from the attack by Benaud after one over.

* Benaud was in charge for the inaugural 1960-61 Frank Worrell Trophy against the West Indies, a series that included the famous Tied Test.

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.

He appealed against the ban but this was rejected by the ICC's code of conduct commissioner, Richie Benaud.

The highlight of his season was scoring 209 not out for an Eastern Province Invitational XI against the International Cavaliers, which included bowlers such as Richie Benaud and Graham McKenzie.

This included most of the first month of the tour ; Benaud hurt his shoulder in the first match against Worcestershire, and spent most of the next three weeks either not bowling or travelling to London away from his men for specialist treatment.

In the following 1953 – 54 season, Burge found a regular place and began the season in November with 103 against a New South Wales attack which included Ray Lindwall, Keith Miller and Richie Benaud.

Burge then scored 137 against Leicestershire between Tests and retained his position after captain Benaud was forced out with a shoulder rinjury.

An opening batsman, he made his Test debut in the 5th Test against West Indies at Sydney in January 1952, alongside fellow debutants George Thoms, also an opening batsman, and Richie Benaud.

Benaud hit a ball into the covers and the pair attempted a quick single when a direct hit from Joe Solomon saw Davidson run out.

Benaud returned to form with match figures of 5 / 142 and 57 in the Fifth Test at Sydney, which ended in a painful draw when Benaud ordered Bill Lawry and Peter Burge to play out the last afternoon for a draw that would retain the Ashes.

Benaud was awarded life membership by the New South Wales Cricket Association, but he returned it in protest in 1970 when his younger brother John was removed from the captaincy.

Benaud embraced his players when opposition wickets fell, something that was uncommon at the time.

His control was admirable, and when Benaud gets a batsman in trouble he rarely if ever gives him a loose one.

Benaud said: " I ’ ll be doing Australian cricket next year – 2010 – but I don ’ t do any television at all anywhere else now and when I finish next year, then I ’ ll be doing other things ... But that ’ ll be no more television commentary ".

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.

He made 6 in the first innings and was 47 not out when Benaud declared in the second innings of the drawn First Test in Brisbane.