| 
Posts and words
Loading ...
Richie-Benaud
Benaud the bowler
By Will last year, at the start of August, 1 Comment »
When I was an aspiring leggie, with lofty ambition to one day play for Middlesex, I was given an MCC coaching book with an accompanying video. I was probably 11 or 12 at the time, and it occupied my entire life. I read it before I went to sleep, and watched the video before our Wednesday and Saturday matches. I was so dedicated to it that I made a copy of the video, kept it in a locked box of course, and took off the sleeve of the hardback book so that it wouldn’t get damaged. I still have the book somewhere, inevitably in a disgraceful condition, but it was used and thumbed constantly.
It used to fall open on Richie Benaud’s chapter on legspin and if a young legspinner read it today, it would still contain everything you need to learn the art. What I liked most about Benaud’s philosophy to bowling legspin was its simplicity and the need for hard work. Ball after ball after ball – just land it. Stick down a handkerchief or a leaf or some chalk, or even some chewing gum, and aim for it. I spent hours and hours and hours doing that, and never got bored. My coach and maths teacher, Pat Rogers, who was a very decent club cricketer (still was into his 50s), knew I had no interest in anything other than cricket in the summer, so I’d take a bucket of balls into a net and bowl constantly. When I have a garden big enough, there’s no doubt I’ll be pitching a net and bowling machine.
I also liked the style of his bowling, which was much less risky and unorthodox than, for example, Shane Warne who was just coming on the scene. Warne spun it like nobody before him, and had big, strong fingers, so he could use his “pinky” to rip it some more. My technique tended to use the one next to your smallest finger and after 10 overs would become raw, blistered and bleed, which I was pleased to note from Benaud was not only normal, but a good sign. Two plasters on top of eachother helped me rip it even more, but that’s school cricket for you.
So, to rip a leggie, Benaud said, the top of your right hand faced the sky, then finished by facing your face. A top-spinner would start facing the sky, then the batsman, so the seam rotated (vertically, if you like) towards the stumps you were aiming at. Most of my wickets came from this ball, oddly, because it bounced so much, though it was probably the top-spinner which ended my aspirations as a cricketer as I soon got the major yips. Years later, I still can’t land it! When I was in South Africa earlier this year, just before getting into my car after the match I had half-an-hour in the nets with a bucket of balls. I landed two out of 25 on a good length. Five or more would have comfortably sailed over the batsman’s head, had there been one. Incredible really that, aged 11, I could sometimes land 10, 11, 12 balls in succession all on middle-and-off, and even vary what I bowled. Now? Not a hope! Even worse, aged 27, it makes me incredibly angry that I’ve lost it. We all love to watch cricket, but playing is a whole heap more fun.
Anyway, this all got me thinking just now after reading Gideon Haigh’s piece on Benaud the bowler and cricketer. He’s more renowned for his commentary, but he was quite revolutionary in his day and must have inspired loads of leggies along the way.
1 Comment »Evening, everyone
By Will last year, mid-February, 14 Comments »
|
||
What with Sir Allen Stanford hogging the limelight, the news that Richie Benaud is to hang up his mic has gone rather unnoticed.
Benaud moved into television commentary soon after retiring from international cricket in 1964 – he took 248 wickets in 63 Tests – and joined the Channel Nine team in 1977. He soon became an icon of sports broadcasting for his crisp style and dry humour – and sharp dress sense. In 2005 English fans mourned the end of 42 years of Benaud’s commentary in the country after the free-to-air Channel 4’s contract ended with the ECB.
The same year Benaud was voted Australia’s most popular commentator in a poll conducted by the Wisden Cricketer and Cricinfo. At the time he said he wanted to continue writing books, which he had begun doing long before making a career in television.
I’ve been fortunate enough to speak to Richie twice, and although he is a remarkably humble person, the sheer length of his involvement in the game makes you check your words. After all, he has seen it all. Or played against so-and-so. Or been on holiday with thingy wotsit. He’s also surprisingly tall.
I won’t mourn his radio-wave silence – we in England had to do that in 2005 when the ECB greedily sold television rights to Sky – but it’s still a sad thought that there’s a generation of fans who will never hear “Morning everyone”. In fact, “Thanks Tony [Lewis]; morning everyone” was officially the start of my summer when I was growing up: the cricket was on, and Richie was going to guide us through it. He was unbiased, neutral, knowledgeable and wise – the cricketing grandfather, and the commentators’ too.
He shone on the BBC. It’s worth remembering that only 15 years ago, the style of commentary was nothing like today’s non-stop, all-action method of forcing people to listen. Silence wasn’t so much encouraged, but neither was verbal diarrhea. Only if they had something useful to say would they say it (with the exception of Fred Trueman…) and on lots of occasions, you could sit there for a whole minute with nothing but the stump and effects mic for company, absorbing yourself in the game. The experience was far more engrossing than Sky and other broadcasters’ insistence on noise, graphics, constant conversation, cheesy music and treating the viewers like cretins. I don’t blame Sky – they are only reacting to trends, and the rapid evolution of the game in becoming increasingly marketable – but I can’t say I prefer it either.
Benaud was dry, reserved and thoughtful. I remember in 2000 when England were doing brilliantly against West Indies, Nasser Hussain took a sharp and low catch to his right at mid-off. “Well,” he began, pausing for a good three or four seconds. “If England aren’t yet on fire”
Your favourite memories? And also – a call to the more talented: how about creating a short three-minute video on his best bits/moments. Go on, there must be someone up for that.
14 Comments »My top Ashes ten
By Will 2 years ago, at the end of October, 2 Comments »
I offered my top ten Ashes heroes for Patrick Kidd’s excellent series, which you can find below. It’s by far from definitive: basically my favourites, the ones I’ve most enjoyed in action or having read about. Nevertheless: cuss me in the comments if you wish.
Our guest blogger this week, to go with the continuing series on Ashes Heroes, is Will Luke, bright young thing of the Cricinfo stable, tabloid fodder and something of a grandfather in the blogging world as he began his Corridor blog way back in 2004, rather than surfing the post-Ashes euphoria like the rest of us. Here’s who he has picked as his ten Ashes heroes:
Richie Benaud The consummate allrounder on the pitch (a fine Ashes captain in the 50s too) and the voice for a generation (or two) in the commentary box. His MCC Masterclass (circa early 1990s) on leg spin is a hidden gem for young, aspiring leggies.
Douglas Jardine A rare Englishman whose name makes Australians flinch. And he didn’t care if they were made to flinch by his tactics, either.
Steve Waugh Embittered, determined, mostly ugly but wonderfully free-flowing if needed. Never, ever defeated and nearly always rose to the biggest of occasions time and again. Unflinchingly stubborn and the first Australian I begrudgingly had to admit to myself that, yes, he was probably a hero.
Shane Warne If perhaps not the single biggest factor in Australia’s Ashes dominance in the 1990s, then certainly the most entertaining cricketer and character in a generation. Love rat extrordinaire.
Dennis Lillee A menacing, angry figure. Unbelievably skilful. The Ashes footage I watched (sadly on video) of him bowl will always stick in my mind.
Darren Gough The heart of ten lions and gave hope that anything was possible when clearly it wasn’t. You’d want him in a war trench just for his optimism.
Ian Botham Everything was possible. 1981, yadda yadda.
Andrew Flintoff Everything is possible. I don’t think any Englishman had struck an Australian for bigger sixes than those sky-scraping missiles he whacked in 2005. His over to Ponting was gold-dust.
Glenn McGrath He always seemed to gain a yard in pace against England. That was my/our feeble excuse. Bastardly metronomic yet a wonderfully unhinged interviewee. In fact, he was just wonderfully unhinged.
Adam Gilchrist It wasn’t enough that Australia had McGrath, Warne and the Waughs. No. They had to produce this dynamo of uninhibited savagery and, worst of all, he was unfailingly honest and polite to boot. An all-round git of an entertainer who created the new breed of batsman-wicketkeeper.
Where’s the charm?
By Will 2 years ago, mid-January, 3 Comments »
A fine and balanced piece by John Benaud in today’s Independent on Sunday. So good, in fact, that I’m pasting it below.
3 Comments »Cricket is always having crises. Books are written and entitled, inevitably, ‘Cricket At The Crossroads’. You’ll recall Bodyline, the World Series Cricket breakaway… and in between the occasional tuppenny bunger, like pathetic over-rates, chucking and so on. Generally, there’s a good guy and a bad guy, and in the above real-deal controversies Douglas Jardine and Kerry Packer were nasties.
The India captain Anil Kumble’s self-indulgent hijacking of “good guy” Australia captain Bill Woodfull’s line “only one team is playing cricket”, uttered during the 1932-33 Bodyline series, was immediately spotted by us cynics with “ocker” accents as code for: “My team have just lost a Test nobody thought they could and I’d like you all to bag nasty Australia and their captain instead of me, in case back home they think we’re the bad guys and torch our houses.”
Ponting is tactically dull, abrasive, prone to snap and a sometimes ungracious winner, but of more urgent concern than any character study of him is the bunch of no-hopers who wander/administer aimlessly under the abbreviatedanonymity of “The ICC”.
One can only guess how embarrassing it must be to have anyone know you are officially part of the International Cricket Council and your claim to fame is the absolute shambles that passes for world cricket in 2008. Put the chief executive, Malcolm Speed, and his team in the dock and even Rumpole’s most junior solicitor could win, his case rested on the evidence of the World Cup last year.
Laws have been changed to accommodate bowlers who throw; the Darrell Hair case remains impossible to fathom, at least for those of us who played and understood the spirit of the game before the ICC lawyers measured out their runs; the crooks of Zimbabwe are rewarded with ongoing recognition; and now a talented umpire who has a bad game can be sent home.
There was a time when the greatest insult to an Australian cricketer was to mention the phrase “no sheep in the top paddock”. After the SCG Test the words “monkey” and “bastard” are apparently offensive. Speed and Co have a new challenge: compile a dictionary of words that are offensive to the modern cricketer, or his culture.
Before they make bigger asses of themselves they should recall the Collis King incident, Mount Smart Stadium, New Zealand, 1978. King, a most talented West Indian all-rounder then playing in World Series Cricket, took a terrible blow to the right groin and collapsed. The physio applied the magic “freeze” spray, but to no avail, and the stretcher arrived. This roused King, who looked down at his “magic-sprayed” groin, sat up abruptly and announced: “Jesus, I’m turning white; quick, spray me all over!”
Past players think modern cricket has no sense of humour, subtlety, finesse and characters, and little goodwill; that it lacks a certain class, charm even. Here’s proof: in 1961, Australia’s Richie Benaud and West Indies’ Frank Worrell agreed pre-series to “have some fun”.
In 2008, when Ponting and Kumble met before the start of the series, it was to discuss how best to defuse an evolving problem: fielders claiming catches that bounce. Cheating.
The ICC, with a little pressure from the odd cricket board, will surely find a way to legalise that in no time.
Richie Benaud t-shirts
By Will 3 years ago, mid-November, 1 Comment »
I want one of these now.
Brilliant. Sorry for lack of posts lately. Far too busy.
1 Comment »TWC commentator’s poll
By Jonathan Liew 3 years ago, at the end of September, 16 Comments »
The latest issue of the Wisden Cricketer features the now regular poll on readers’ favourite commentators. Geoff Boycott takes top spot, followed by Jonathan Agnew, David Lloyd, Michael Atherton and Michael Holding.
What does everyone think about that?
And why was Mark Nicholas
Cruel game for those on debut
By Ian 3 years ago, at the end of June, 13 Comments »
AFP
How bad must Malinda Warnapura be feeling? To get a Test golden duck is bad enough, but a golden duck on deboo, as Richie would say, against Bangladesh on a featherbed when your partner gets a ton must be crushing. He’s unlikely to bat again in this match and may not get another innings if Upul Tharanga returns from injury.
The only other deboo goldie I can remember was Alan Wells in 1995, caught Sherwin Campbell, bowled Curtly Ambrose. Again, most other batsmen did well on that track, including two hundreds (Lara and Hooper) and six others who made it to 80 and didn’t convert (four were out in the nervous 90s). Wells did at least make an unbeaten 3 in the second innings, but that was his lot.
I’m sure there were others?
13 Comments »Life after Benaud
By Ian 3 years ago, mid-June, 29 Comments »
On Desert Island Discs, you are allowed one luxury. Given mine would be a magical television that showed all available live cricket (as well as choice re-runs), I’d be able to pick my favourite pundits to describe the action. Who are my top commentators? In theory, I would only need two to cover the matches, but that would be unfair on them (I’m not a tyrant), so I’d hire five to mix it up and give the others a rest.
Therefore, below are my five favourite commentators. Benaud would have been there, of course, as would Brian Johnston, but we must all move on. There are honourable mentions for Lloyd, Gower, Holding, Dujon, Nasser, Knight, Ward, Smith, Lawry and Greig, but these five pick themselves.My Top Five: Michael Atherton, Jimmy Adams, Michael Slater, Geoff Boycott and Simon Hughes.
I can’t imagine anyone will disagree, but then it’s your island. Pick who you like!
29 Comments »A French XI
By Will 3 years ago, mid-May, 15 Comments »
Further to the French rules of cricket the other day, a Beige Brigadier has prompted this post (so blame him): a French XI. All names must have French origins, or sound vaguely Frenchish. Such as Richie Benaud, Jacques Kallis, Bernard Bosanquet (who?) and so on.
Far too much fun. Get to it.
15 Comments »Super effort, that; a video or choo to chew over
By Will 3 years ago, mid-May, 1 Comment »
“Check one choo, check one choo.” Richie, Tony and Bill are back…well, not really. The video is a brilliant mashup of the latest 12th Man and actual footage of the last horrorshow train-wreck Ashes series. Courtesy of Mr Miller who somehow has found his way back to Blighty.
Click here if you can’t see it above.
1 Comment »Super jacket, that
By Will 4 years ago, mid-December, 4 Comments »
The cream, the bone, the white, the off-white, the ivory, or the beige? It’s Richie Benaud from the 1974-75 series
Courtesy of TMS.
4 Comments »Boned: The 12th Man
By Will 4 years ago, at the end of November, 11 Comments »
Buy Boned: The 12th Man by Billy Birmingham
I’ve often mentioned Billy Birmingham’s 12th Man Tapes here, and most (not all) of Cricinfo’s editorial team are complete addicts. We heard from the latest Australian member of the team, Brydon, that Birmingham is releasing a new album in time for Christmas which got the biggest cheer of the day. Fantastic news.
Called Boned, it contains all the usual stuff with Richie Benaud, Tony Greig, Bill Lawry and Ian Chappell. It’s going to be immense – Amazon are doing pre-orders so buy it now.
 |
 |
The Sydney Morning Herald have an interview with Birmingham who begins with what could be Quote of the Century.
11 Comments »“I’m all over the place like a suicide bomber’s sandshoe,” he tells The Sun-Herald.
“There’s so much material. The drama has been trying to cut it all down so it fits onto a double album.”
The 12th Man’s catalogue stands at almost 2million units sold. Have no doubt about Boned!becoming the biggest-selling album at Christmas. All six previous albums from The 12th Man have reached No.1 on the ARIA chart, making Birmingham the only Australian recording artist to have reached top spot with every one of his releases.
“It couldn’t have happened in any other country,” he says. “We’re a nation of sports nuts and piss-takers and all I’ve done is combine the two.”
McGuire telephones Benaud and tells him he’s been boned: the term bandied about when the real-life McGuire was thinking about sacking Channel Nine presenter Jessica Rowe. That night, Richie dreams that he telephones Kerry Packer in heaven and the former Nine boss tells him to fight the good fight against McGuire. Benaud, Ian Chappell, Tony Greig, Bill Lawry, Mark Nicholas and the rest of the commentators storm Martin Place in Sydney with a petition to get their jobs back.
A Family Legacy (short cricket film)
By Will 4 years ago, at the end of October, 2 Comments »
We’ve been musing about Youtube recently at work, and are constantly baffled by the amount of stuff on the site. It really is mad.
But until now I hadn’t come across any short films (cricket-based)…this is well worth watching if you’ve 10 minutes spare. Some funny moments and a pretty good Richie Benaud impression (equally good impersonation of a kiwi commentator too!). Click here if you can’t see the video below.
2 Comments »Yeah, but what was he doing in the broadcast box in the first place?
By Scott 4 years ago, mid-August, 20 Comments »
I was only mildly surprised to hear that Dean Jones had shot himself in the foot and shot his commentating career to Hell by making an outrageous remark about Hashim Amla.
Cricket watchers know Deano is not above making stupid remarks. His commentating career has demonstrated that he is an inexhaustable fund of imbecilic remarks. He covered Australia’s 2004 tour of India and drove me to distraction with his inanities. He mostly talks in cliches. In fact, he can talk in cliches till the cows come home.
In truth, he’s always been a self-centred and rather thoughtless individual who has a poor record of putting his mouth into action before engaging his brain. As a player, he alienated his team-mates with Australia, Victoria and even with Derbyshire. His file as a player, for all his brilliance as a batsman, was undoubtedly scarred with his ‘poor team player’ reputation.
I only needed one day of hearing Dean Jones as a commentator to understand that he was patently unsuitable for the position. He is constantly inflicted on Asian audiences, I guess because of his supposed credibility gained by playing 52 Tests for Australia. However, in those 52 Test matches, he learned nothing about what is required to be a broadcaster.
Quite rightly a lot of the focus of this controversy will fall onto Jones, for his disgraceful remarks. However, his employer, Ten Sports, also deserve a full measure of disapproval, for hiring someone who had a demonstrated inability to perform the fairly important job of cricket commentator with an appropriate degree of professionalism.
No doubt it is helpful to have played the game at at least first class level. However, playing ability is not broadcasting ability. The doyenne of television broadcasters, Richie Benaud, made a point of staying in England after Australia’s 1956 tour of England, to undertake a sports broadcasting course conducted by the BBC. He was also a trained newspaper journalist, in an era when Australian cricketers had to have a separate career. No million dollar salaries back then. So Benaud, who became the model of the player broadcaster, came to the microphone with a thorough and thoughtful understanding of the television industry. Few of his successors as player-broadcasters have had such a background, and it shows.
The appropriate model is perhaps the old fashioned radio model, where a professional journalist does the ball-by-ball comments, and the old player provides the expert commentary. On radio, the old pro has time to gather his thoughts, and thus (hopefully) sparing himself the embarrassment that Jones has put himself though. In one way, I suppose it is sad that Jones has self destructed in this way. But I ask you, what was he doing in that broadcast box in the first place?
20 Comments »Classic catches video
By Will 4 years ago, at the end of July, 3 Comments »
Some absolute stunning catches here, well worth watching if only to hear the commentators (Richie Benaud, Bill Lawrie and Tony Greig mainly) go nuts. That one by Mark Taylor at first slip was sensational…
3 Comments » « Previous Entries