The Voice Of Cricket, Richie Benaud, Dies Aged 84

Beloved cricket broadcaster and Australian icon Richie Benaud has died, aged 84.

His family announced that he passed away peacefully in his sleep last night.

In November last year he announced he was batting skin cancer, a product of a long career spent outdoors as both a cricket player and commentator.

When asked by fellow commentator Mark Nicholas if he’d had a rough year, Benaud responded with his classic, dry wit.

“Roughish,” he said, with a trademark grin.

Benaud has been lauded for his highly influential take on the game and the art of broadcasting.

Known for his astute but wry take on the game, his attitude to commentary was often to let televised pictures do much of the talking.

“My mantra is: put your brain into gear and if you can add to what's on the screen then do it,” he once said.

“Otherwise, shut up.”

Over a decorated cricketing and media career, Benaud won an array of awards and recognitions.

In 1961, he was awarded an OBE for his services to cricket.

He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985, the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2007 and the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2009.

A respected captain and all-rounder, Benaud played 63 Tests for Australia, scoring more than 2201 runs and taking 248 wickets with his leg-spin.

He was the first player to complete the 2000-run and 200-wicket double and retired as the leading Test wicket taker of all time.

During his tenure as Test captain, Australia did not lose a series.

He was also a prolific author, writing 14 books on the game he loved.

Late in his life, he turned his focus to the issue of skin cancer.

“When I was a kid, we never, ever wore a cap. Not the flash ones,” he said not long after his diagnosis.

“[Keith] “Nugget” Miller never wore a cap, so I didn’t.

“I wish I had.

“I recommend to anyone: they should have protection on their skin and on their heads.

“I can give you one good reason for that. Eighty-four-year-olds just don’t seem to mend as well as they used to.”

He is survived by his wife Daphne and two sons from a previous marriage.