Published: Aug 20, 2015, 10:01 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 20, 2015, 10:02 PM (IST)
Surrey Cricket Club honoured Australia great Richie Benaud on Thursday by re-naming one of the broadcasting booths at The Oval ‘The Richie Benaud Commentary Box’. The newly-named box was opened at the start of the final session of the first day of the fifth Ashes Test between England and Australia at The Oval by Benaud’s widow, Daphne. Benaud, who died aged 84 in April, was one of the most influential cricketers of his generation. As a leg-spinner and aggressive lower order batsman, he was the first cricketer to reach the Test double of 2,000 runs and 200 wickets. Live Cricket Updates: England vs Australia, 5th Test, The Oval, Day 1
His playing achievements also included an inspirational term as captain of Australia from 1958-64, with the team never losing a Test series under Benaud’s leadership. Off the field, he became equally well known as a cricket broadcaster, mainly in Australia and England, during a television career that spanned more than 40 years.
He also played a key role in the formation of Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket that revolutionised the professional game in the 1970s, and anchored the billionaire’s Channel Nine cricket coverage in Australia for decades. The Oval, Surrey’s headquarters ground in south London, was the venue for Benaud’s final television commentary stint in England during the last day of the 2005 Ashes Test, where he described Kevin Pietersen’s stunning 158 that sealed a series-clinching draw for England.
