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One of the great players and commentators in the world of cricket, Richie Benaud, has left the field. His career as a reporter is practically unbelievable, culminating in 45 years writing for the News of the World, where he bore "an increasing resemblance to the pianist in a bordello" according to The Guardian. His apprentice years at Fairfax Media's Sun in Sydney are described in the same 2005 article thus:For the first few years of his career Benaud was apprenticed to the paper's star police roundsman Noel Bailey, chasing fires, car crashes and even the odd murder. Listening to Bailey dictate copy of perfect length from payphones with minutes to edition taught him the importance of not wasting a word: something that still characterises his plain, spare prose as well as his concise commentary.

Working as a columnist while Australian captain made him the object of some suspicion from a hidebound and parsimonious Australian board of control. In an age when Test cricketers seem to be issued a column with their cap it seems astonishing that Benaud was in his time barred by board statute from writing about any match in which he was involved, even when he dashed off 15 excited paragraphs for Sydney's Sun after the tied Test in 1960-61.

"I got a letter from Barnesy in the next post," Benaud recalls. It said: 'I wish to remind you that you have broken by-law so-and-so by writing about what occurred in a day's play. Please do not do this again or the board will have to take action'."

Additional pages, here and here.

spot;1477332 wrote: One of the great players and commentators in the world of cricket, Richie Benaud, has left the field. His career as a reporter is practically unbelievable, culminating in 45 years writing for the News of the World, where he bore "an increasing resemblance to the pianist in a bordello" according to The Guardian. His apprentice years at Fairfax Media's Sun in Sydney are described in the same 2005 article thus:For the first few years of his career Benaud was apprenticed to the paper's star police roundsman Noel Bailey, chasing fires, car crashes and even the odd murder. Listening to Bailey dictate copy of perfect length from payphones with minutes to edition taught him the importance of not wasting a word: something that still characterises his plain, spare prose as well as his concise commentary.

Working as a columnist while Australian captain made him the object of some suspicion from a hidebound and parsimonious Australian board of control. In an age when Test cricketers seem to be issued a column with their cap it seems astonishing that Benaud was in his time barred by board statute from writing about any match in which he was involved, even when he dashed off 15 excited paragraphs for Sydney's Sun after the tied Test in 1960-61.

"I got a letter from Barnesy in the next post," Benaud recalls. It said: 'I wish to remind you that you have broken by-law so-and-so by writing about what occurred in a day's play. Please do not do this again or the board will have to take action'."

Additional pages, here and here.


It was always a joy to listen to his commentary, to world will be a duller place for his going.

Bryn Mawr;1477346 wrote: It was always a joy to listen to his commentary, to world will be a duller place for his going.


Yes indeed

Was he the one who famously reported on one of his commentaries about a ball being hit, heading towards the commentary box, and then a sudden sound of broken glass as the ball came through the window & knocked him unconcious as it hit him on the head?

Edward Bevan, that was, on Radio Wales. I suspect batsmen aim sixes at commentary box windows just to see if they can manage it.