When the late Tiger Pataudi inadvertently said ‘Australia is the Voice of Cricket and India is the Invoice of Cricket’, I reckon it was fairly obvious on second count.
But not many would have known Australia was or is the voice of cricket primarily via its capacity to dominate on the field; while off the field Tiger Pataudi had sane commentators like Richie Benaud in mind.
Having clarified with the Nawab of Indian Cricket, I have no doubt that Benaud had enormous impact on Tiger’s development as a fearless Indian captain. To be never scared of losing in the pursuit of winning was a simple yet very difficult philosophy to adopt in the terribly cautious world of fifties and sixties.
Benaud breathed his last today in Sydney after a severe battle with skin cancer. So, the real neutral voice of cricket is silenced for ever.
Not that Benaud was very fond of himself and the mike as is the modern trend. To put it more succinctly, Benaud didn’t jump into the media/commentary box straight from the field of play. Once again I have to mention, as is the modern trend.
When Benaud discovered his playing days were numbered but his involvement with cricket was not on the wane, he decided to do a journalism course in England, taking to the pen and the mike with same enthusiasm as he did with the bat and ball.
And then the handsome all-rounder from Sydney was the envy of cricket experts from all over. Benaud’s French lineage never deserted him; if anything Benaud carried it as an aristocratic compliment.
One often noticed Benaud mentioning the ‘googly’ as ‘bosie’ after the Frenchman Bosenquet who was credited with the discovery of the wrong one. It sounded so much better than the obnoxious ‘doosra’.
In late fifties, Richie captained Australia in India. In Delhi he asked for a heavy roller but there was none.
The DDCA wouldn’t accept that, so they coined an excuse, saying ‘the heavy roller was stolen the previous night’
Talking to Gideon Haigh in Melbourne I was able to extract a lovely quote. “Richie Benaud was the most influential personality of world cricket after Sir Don Bradman, especially prior and during Packer’s cricket circus. His command of the game on the field and from the media box was second to none.”
Benaud must have been a great all-rounder as his stats would suggest. But his impact was greater than his stats.
Australia choose the team first and then the best man for the job to lead. But around the time Benaud was made captain there was Keith Miller and Neil Harvey, both as eligible to lead as anyone else. Thanks to Sir Don Bradman, Benaud got the nod and Australia have never regretted.
Bradman and Benaud made a powerful duo, all for the good of Australian cricket. On a personal note if I may express my gratitude to Richie Benaud...remember the time when my county contract was terminated by Northamptonshire?
I had to seek legal recourse when Benaud was magnanimous in issuing me a letter suggesting my dismissal was grossly unfair by Northampton. It is quite another story that I lost the case most graciously and was left admiring an English system which was one from top to toe.
Benaud had queried why my Board didn’t back me in the stupid Vaseline affair. I could only chuckle then as I’m doing now, albeit alone. Then I had Richie Benaud by my side. And for that, this is my humble tribute to a truly charismatic cricketing personality of our times. RIP Richie.
