Five Marvellous Moments: Thank You, Richie

If the generation of cricket followers before me was raised on radio, I was a certified child of the networks - Channel 9 and the BBC, in cricketing terms. But unlike most of my peers, when I wasn't tuning in to whatever little Doordarshan and the newly-acquired cable channels had to offer, I had my dad's collection of classic matches (painstakingly recorded on VHS tapes) to fall back on. Those repeated viewings eventually made me a bit of a tragic; I remain a compulsive stop-play-rewinder, my Walkman providing the buttons these days. I've also vowed to change my ringtone to Soul Limbo. Perhaps more worryingly, I still get a real kick out of saying out loud, in that chewing-tobacco voice of reason, "Chew for chwenny chew", or "Good morning and welcome to all our viewers".

Another blogger, also paying tribute to Richie Benaud upon hearing the news of his impending retirement, alluded to 'chewers' like me when he noted that "imitation is the best form of flattery". There's not much I can add to the paeans that have come out in the wake of Benaud's announcement, but I will say this; he was a young fan's delight, too. He was the glue that bound those weird commentators together, from the volatile Greig and Lawry to the droll Johnston and Laker. He was the voice who channelled those funny happenings on the field in alien environments into a coherent whole. And crucially, for those of us who never got our turn to bat on the playground because we were deemed too small or insignificant, we weren't about to be denied the pleasure of dreaming of a future in cricket - we knew we'd get there by simply being able to call it as we saw it, just like Richie! It's another matter that I mostly ended up talking to myself.

Cricketers are an unimaginative lot, as is evidenced from player nicknames. But let's get personal here; if I were to bestow the nickname 'Mr.Cricket' on anyone, it would be a certain Australian, and his name's not Michael Hussey. Here are my top five pieces of commentary from the man himself:


1. World Cup Final 1983, Kapil Dev's catch: If the Indian skipper's running catch to dismiss an on-song Viv Richards was the defining moment of the '83 Final, Benaud's control over his observation at time demonstrates just why he was so highly rated; as Richards launched into a short ball from Madan Lal, he commented "good shot..", and seamlessly recovered when he saw Kapil running around, "..not so good. Beautifully caught!". The key here is that his trademark understatement and economy with words ensured he didn't get ahead of himself. Hypothetically, a Tony Grieg for example would have half-screamed "It's gone miles!" and then be forced to retract his rushed statement when the catch was completed. [Watch the dismissal here, at 3:26]

2. The Underarm Incident: Apart from being forthright about what he made of the proceedings, Benaud was also quick to point out the difference in Benson & Hedges rules in the UK and Australia, a loophole which allowed the underarm to be bowled in Oz when it had actually been banned in the UK. This piece of observation stands out when you consider most commentators are not a hundred percent clued in to the finer laws of the game. [Listen to benaud's comments here, from 6:10]

3. Ashes Test, Perth 2006: By 2006, Benaud had become an increasingly peripheral figure in the Channel 9 Box, especially with the switch to three commentators on at the same time from the usual two. However, as this clip shows, he hadn't lost his penchant for the wry one-liner. Matthew Hayden had taken a blow on "that part" of the body, leading Benaud to generalise, "first of all, you gotta make sure they're still there". Next, as soon as Hayden gets up, he does a quick adjustment, at which Benaud pounces, "Yup, he's just checked." If you listen closely, you can make out the guffawing from the rest of the commentary team.

4. Wasim Akram's double-strike, 1992 Final: The pictures most associated with the '92 Final are those of Akram castling Allan Lamb and Chris Lewis in successive deliveries. They would be incomplete, however, without the accompanying voice-over. As usual, Benaud made it a habit to be around when the tide turned. "Allan Lamb has been cleaned up. Perhaps, so too England." Then, in a flash, Tony Cozier reads out the list of batsmen to come and Benaud responds with "Subtract Lewis from that list..". Priceless. [Watch the video here]

5. Mark Greatbatch catch, 1993: I haven't seen this incident on TV, but merely reading about it had me in splits. The story goes, in the 1993 summer New Zealand player Mark Greatbatch dropped every thing that came his way, and was roundly criticised by the Channel 9 team. But in the last test he held one at first slip, pointed up to the commentary box and screamed:

“Stick that up your ******* arse!”

Benaud's response:

“Just reminding us he’s dropped a few already this year.”

Marvellous.