Saturday 11 April 2015 12:13, UK
Former Australia captain and broadcaster Richie Benaud has died at the age of 84.
Benaud, arguably the most influential personality in cricket of the last 60 years, had been fighting skin cancer.
Devilish leg-spin, brash lower-order batting, meticulous, aggressive captaincy and distinctive television commentary saw Benaud leave an indelible mark on the game both on and off the field.
As captain, his instinctive leadership lifted Australia from the doldrums to the top of the world game, reclaiming the Ashes in his debut series as captain in 1958 and succesfully defending them twice before becoming the 'voice of cricket' with his 'less-is-more' style in the commentary booth.
His calm authority behind the microphone mirrored his style on the field.
Born into a cricketing family in Penrith, New South Wales in 1930, he grew up learning to bowl leg-spin under the watchful gaze of his father only to then make his first-class debut as a specialist batsman for his home state against Queensland in the New Year's match of the 1948-49 season.
He began his career as a batting all-rounder and made his Test debut against the West Indies in Sydney in 1952, although his early Test career was unremarkable.
His wedding later that year possibly saw Benaud at his least eloquent - he was forced to say his vows through a swathe of bandages after being hit in the face while fielding at short gully in the second Test against South Africa.
But his coming-of-age in the Test arena came on the tour of South Africa in 1957-58, when he took 106 wickets and scored 817 runs - including four centuries - to mark his arrival as a genuine all-rounder and subsequently the finest leg-spin bowler of his generation.
Captaincy soon followed, under which Australia did not lose a series and became the dominant team in world cricket. Having lost the previous three Ashes series, he inspired his side to reclaim them in 1958 - his finest moment as a bowler coming in 1961 as his 6/70 at Old Trafford ensured Australia retained the urn in 1961.
Benaud was not a big spinner of the ball, but relied on deception and inventive fields to trap batsmen and he was one of the finest close fielders of his generation. As a batsmen, he was a tall and elegant left-hander, his lofted drive a trademark Benaud shot.
In 1963, he became the first player in the history of the game to achieve the Test match 'double' of 2,000 runs and 200 wickets.
By then he had been awarded an OBE and was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year. By the end of his career, he had scored 2,201 runs in 63 Tests, taking 248 wickets at an average of 27.03.
After retiring as a player in 1964, Benaud became a full-time cricket journalist and commentator while also remaining part of the fabric of the game - he was involved in the establishment of the World Series in 1977.
As a commentator, he relied on the pictures to tell the story, using an economy of words to add his expertise and wry insight. His commentary mantra was: "Put your brain into gear and if you can add to what's on the screen then do it, otherwise shut up."
He had not worked since crashing his car in October 2013 and revealed late last year he was undergoing radiation therapy for skin cancer.
The Australian government has offered Benaud's family a state funeral.
