Dear Editor,
With regard to your news items (SN, Apr 10, 11) on the passing of iconic cricket commentator Richie Benaud, in my travels around Australia, he was topic of conversation everywhere.
Eyes were fixated on the TV when news broke of his passing. Moments of silence were held. TV programmes were interrupted to break the news. Tributes poured in from politicians and eminent cricketers.
Fans came to Sydney Cricket Ground and Melbourne Cricket Ground to pay homage to him as they also did at Adelaide Oval and at other grounds. Even Lord’s in England had a makeshift memorial for him with a flag flying at half-mast. He was the subject of conversation when I visited MCG and the Rod Laver Tennis Stadium. Newspapers everywhere in Australia in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth had him on the front page.
There was a wealth of tributes from cricket legends around the globe including from Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Warne, Richard Hadlee, Max Walker, Ian Chappell, Tony Greig, etc. They spoke about his encouragement to them to become great cricketers. And he offered advice not only to Australians but to everyone. Sports enthusiasts of all ages adored and respected him. Everyone seemed to know him. Even Asians (Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Filipinos, Indonesians, etc) who are not into cricket know of him. No one had anything negative to say about him. No player had issues with him; even foreign players and prime ministers lauded his contribution to cricket.
I knew of Richie Benaud since I was a child listening to cricket during the Australian tour of the West Indies around 1972. I remember his commentary during the World Cups that began in 1975 – very laudatory in his description of Alvin Kalicharran’s assault on Dennis Lillee’s fast bowling.
I can’t think of any Guyanese, West Indian, or even any other cricket fan around the world who did not listen to the lovely voice of Richie Benaud. We grew up with him and stayed awake all night listening to him during the six Test series in the 1975-76 tour Down Under when WIndies were trounced 5-1 by Greg Chappell’s team. Once you listened to or watched cricket, you heard him. And we missed him in the commentary circuit over the last two years as he underwent treatment for skin cancer. In watching TV tributes to him, he advised players and anyone to wear caps when out in the sun or some kind of head covering and use sun block to avoid skin cancer. But 84 is a good score for the bloke. Even many who wear all the mentioned protective sun gear don’t make into the 80s.
How can anyone forget that voice. Like all fans of cricket, I will miss his voice very much. It was so unique; you hear the voice and you place the face. He was parsimonious with words. And he did not feel he had to use fancy adjectives to describe an outstanding performance or play. But of course he did use superlatives to describe plays – glorious shot, magnificent catch, brilliant shot. As several commented on TV, when he said, “what a catch” or “what a delivery,” or “what a shot”, you knew precisely what he meant and that it was a great act. Nothing else needed be said about the play. He felt the act should speak for itself – nothing should be added to it unless you can add to it. Let the viewers or listeners sense or feel it. He meant everything he said and he said everything he meant. And Richie Benaud meant a lot to so many of us who follow cricket and who travel the world to see outstanding players and teams. Even though I never met him, I felt like I knew him and that he was in my living room.
He is so respected in Australia, as SN reported, that the government offered him a state funeral. But his widow declined the offer saying that Richie wanted a private, quiet funeral with a small number of friends and family members. He did not crave attention. That was the kind of man he was – simple and charming and not out for attention, although so much was given willingly to him.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
