Benaud's Influence On Australian Cricket

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To what extent did Richie Benaud influence Australian cricket? Richie Benaud, former Australian cricketer and cricket commentator, indisputably had a heavy influence on Australian cricket. His bowling and batting abilities proved decisive in securing significant victories for the Australian national cricket team, and his statistics prove his capability as an all-rounder. His captaincy oversaw a long period of success in which the Australian team were unified under his leadership. As a commentator, Richie Benaud’s distinctive and well-admired style of commentary gave him legendary status in Australian cricket. His cricket career, captaincy, and commentary had much to be admired because of the impact he had on Australian cricket – he was a major figure for the Australian cricket team …show more content…

His all-rounder abilities, playing as both a batsman and a leg-spin bowler, were influential in many significant victories for Australia. Benaud’s average of 24.45 as a batsman and 27.03 as a bowler are considered excellent, but still do not fully represent the extent of his skill. In the 18 tests Benaud played following Australia’s 1957-58 tour of South Africa he averaged 31.80 as a batsman and 20.27 as a bowler, indicating that he fared considerably better with both bat and ball as his career progressed. Benaud’s bowling prowess won Australia its first ever Test series on Indian soil in 1957, a match in which he finished with match figures of 11-105. His all-rounder credentials were unveiled in the fourth match of the five-match tour of South Africa in 1957-58, in which he scored 100 and took a five-wicket haul to clinch the series for Australia – becoming only the fourth Australian to score a century and take five wickets in a single match. Benaud’s skill as an all-rounder and subsequent influence in significant results for the Australian national cricket team place him in the history books of Australian

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