Richie Benaud

Richie Benaud (1930–2015) was an Australian leg-spin bowler, captain, and cricket broadcaster. He became the first player to score 2,000 Test runs and take 200 Test wickets.

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Don Bradman: Australian batter whose Test batting average of 99.94 remains a record. Bradman selected Benaud for Australia’s 1958–59 tour of England.
Tied Test: A Test cricket match in which both teams finish with equal scores and neither wins. Benaud captained Australia in the 1960 Brisbane Test, cricket’s first tied Test.
Leg-spin: A bowling style in cricket that makes the ball turn from leg to off after pitching. Benaud’s principal bowling style relied on deception, flight, and turn.
Cricket commentary: Spoken analysis and description of cricket matches for audiences. Benaud’s measured television style became a defining model for cricket commentary.
Neil Harvey: Australian left-handed batter who played Test cricket from 1948 to 1963. Harvey was a senior teammate during Benaud’s rise in the Australian side.
1960–61 Australia in the West Indies: Australia’s Test tour of the West Indies in 1960–61, featuring a five-match series ending 2–1 to Australia. Benaud’s attacking leadership helped make this closely contested tour a landmark series.
Googly: A leg-spinner’s delivery that turns in the opposite direction from a conventional leg-break. Benaud used the googly to unsettle batters expecting the ball to turn away.
World Series Cricket: A professional cricket competition organized by Kerry Packer from 1977 to 1979 outside official cricket structures. Benaud became a prominent commentator for the television coverage that brought the competition to audiences.
Alan Davidson: Australian left-arm fast bowler and lower-order batter who played Test cricket from 1953 to 1963. Davidson and Benaud formed a celebrated all-round partnership in the 1960–61 West Indies series.
1961 Ashes series: The five-Test series in England in 1961, won 2–1 by Australia. Benaud’s team retained the Ashes after decisive victories at Lord’s and Old Trafford.