Editing Richie Benaud (section)

==Early years==
Benaud was born in [[Penrith, New South Wales|Penrith]], New South Wales, in 1930. He came from a cricket family, with his younger brother [[John Benaud]] also going on to become an Australian Test cricketer. His father Louis, a third-generation Australian of [[French people|French]] [[Huguenot]] descent,<ref name="wisden">{{cite web|title=Wisden 1962 – Richie Benaud|url=http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/154567.html|year=1962|access-date=21 May 2007|publisher=[[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack|Wisden]]|archive-date=19 January 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119232800/http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/154567.html|url-status=live}}</ref> was a [[leg spin]]ner who played for [[Penrith District Cricket Club]] in [[Sydney Grade Cricket]], gaining attention for taking all twenty wickets in a match against [[St Marys, New South Wales|St. Marys]] for 65.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/126122725 | title=Ex-Corakian's Remarkable Feat | newspaper=Richmond River Herald and Northern Districts Advertiser | date=6 April 1923 }}</ref> Lou later moved to [[Parramatta, New South Wales|Parramatta]] region in western Sydney, and played for [[Cumberland, New South Wales|Cumberland]]. Benaud also used to live in Coraki, NSW.

It was here that Richie Benaud grew up, learning how to bowl [[leg break]]s, [[googly|googlies]] and [[topspinner]]s under his father's watch.<ref name="wisden"/> Educated at [[Parramatta High School]], Benaud made his first grade debut for Cumberland at age 16, primarily as a batsman.<ref name="az">{{cite book|author=Cashman|author2=Franks|author3=Maxwell|author4=Sainsbury|author5=Stoddart|author6=Weaver|author7=Webster|year=1997|title=The A-Z of Australian cricketers}}</ref>

In November 1948, at the age of 18, Benaud was selected for the New South Wales Colts, the state youth team. He scored 47 not out and took 3/37 in an innings win over Queensland.<ref name=o/> As a specialist batsman, he made his first-class debut for [[New South Wales cricket team|New South Wales]] at the [[Sydney Cricket Ground]] against [[Queensland Bulls|Queensland]] in the New Year's match of the 1948–49 season. On a green pitch which was struck by a downpour on the opening day, Benaud's spin was not used by [[Arthur Morris]], and he failed to make an impression with the bat in his only innings, scoring only two.<ref name=az/><ref name=o/> New South Wales were the dominant state at the time, and vacancies in the team were scarce, particularly as there were no Tests that season and all of the national team players were available for the whole summer.<ref name=auslist>{{cite web|url=http://stats.cricinfo.com/guru?sdb=team;team=AUS;class=testteam;filter=basic;opposition=0;notopposition=0;decade=0;homeaway=0;continent=0;country=0;notcountry=0;groundid=0;season=0;startdefault=1877-03-15;start=1877-03-15;enddefault=2007-11-20;end=2007-11-20;tourneyid=0;finals=0;daynight=0;toss=0;scheduledovers=0;scheduleddays=0;innings=0;followon=0;result=0;seriesresult=0;captainid=0;recent=;viewtype=resultlist;runslow=;runshigh=;wicketslow=;wicketshigh=;ballslow=;ballshigh=;overslow=;overshigh=;bpo=0;batevent=;conclow=;conchigh=;takenlow=;takenhigh=;ballsbowledlow=;ballsbowledhigh=;oversbowledlow=;oversbowledhigh=;bpobowled=0;bowlevent=;submit=1;.cgifields=viewtype|title=Statsguru – Australia – Tests|publisher=[[Cricinfo]]|access-date=21 December 2007|archive-date=24 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924171226/https://stats.espncricinfo.com/guru?sdb=team&team=AUS&class=testteam&filter=basic&opposition=0&notopposition=0&decade=0&homeaway=0&continent=0&country=0&notcountry=0&groundid=0&season=0&startdefault=1877-03-15&start=1877-03-15&enddefault=2007-11-20&end=2007-11-20&tourneyid=0&finals=0&daynight=0&toss=0&scheduledovers=0&scheduleddays=0&innings=0&followon=0&result=0&seriesresult=0&captainid=0&recent=&viewtype=resultlist&runslow=&runshigh=&wicketslow=&wicketshigh=&ballslow=&ballshigh=&overslow=&overshigh=&bpo=0&batevent=&conclow=&conchigh=&takenlow=&takenhigh=&ballsbowledlow=&ballsbowledhigh=&oversbowledlow=&oversbowledhigh=&bpobowled=0&bowlevent=&submit=1&.cgifields=viewtype|url-status=live}}</ref>

Relegated to the Second XI after this match, he was struck in the head above the right eye by a ball from [[Jack Daniel (cricketer)|Jack Daniel]] while batting against [[Victoria cricket team|Victoria]] in [[Melbourne]], having missed an attempted hook. After 28 X-rays showed nothing, it was finally diagnosed that the crater in his forehead had resulted in a skull fracture and he was sidelined for the remainder of the season,<ref name="az"/> since a second impact could have been fatal. He spent two weeks in hospital for the surgery.<ref>Benaud, pp. 33–38.</ref> This was the only match he played for the second-string state team that summer.<ref name=o>{{cite web|title=Player Oracle R Benaud|url=https://cricketarchive.com/cgi-bin/player_oracle_reveals_results2.cgi?playernumber=919&opponentmatch=exact&playername=Meckiff&resulttype=All&matchtype=All&teammatch=exact&startwicket=&homeawaytype=All&opponent=&endwicket=&wicketkeeper=&searchtype=InningsList&endscore=&playermatch=contains&branding=cricketarchive&captain=&endseason=&startscore=&team=&startseason=|access-date=14 May 2009|publisher=CricketArchive|archive-date=24 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924171236/https://cricketarchive.com/subscribe|url-status=live}}</ref>

In his early career, Benaud was a batting all-rounder, marked by a looping backlift which made him suspect against fast bowling but allowed him to have a wide attacking stroke range.<ref name="az"/> At the start of the 1949–50 season, he was still in the Second XI, but when the Test players departed for a tour of South Africa soon afterwards,<ref name=o/> vacancies opened up. Benaud was recalled to the New South Wales First XI in late December for the Christmas and New Year's fixtures. With [[Ray Lindwall]], [[Keith Miller]] and [[Ernie Toshack]], three of Australia's leading four bowlers from the [[Australian cricket team in England in 1948|1948 ''Invincibles'' tour of England]] unavailable, Benaud bowled heavily in some matches. However, he did not have much success in his five games, taking only five wickets at 54.00.<ref name=o/>

He took the wicket of Queensland batsman [[Bill Brown (cricketer)|Bill Brown]] in his third match of the season. Benaud erroneously recalled in an autobiography that this was his maiden wicket—it was, in fact, his fourth—and described the ball as "the worst I ever bowled".<ref>Benaud, pp. 41–43.</ref> He had more success with the bat, scoring 93 and narrowly missing a century against [[Southern Redbacks|South Australia]]. He added another fifty and ended with 250 runs at 31.25.<ref name=o/>

For the next season, [[England cricket team|England]] toured Australia, and with the Test players back, Benaud was initially forced out of the team. He was recalled for a match against the Englishmen. He was attacked by the touring batsmen, taking 1/75 from 16.5 overs in his first outing against an international outfit.<ref name=o/> His only wicket was that of the all-rounder [[Trevor Bailey]].<ref name=ow>{{cite web|title=Player Oracle R Benaud List of Wickets|url=https://cricketarchive.com/cgi-bin/player_oracle_reveals_results2.cgi?playernumber=919&testing=0&opponentmatch=exact&playername=IK%20Pathan&resulttype=All&matchtype=All&teammatch=exact&startwicket=&homeawaytype=All&opponent=&endwicket=&wicketkeeper=&searchtype=WicketsTakenList&endscore=&playermatch=contains&branding=cricketarchive&captain=&endseason=&startscore=&team=&startseason=|access-date=14 May 2009|publisher=CricketArchive|archive-date=24 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924171231/https://cricketarchive.com/subscribe|url-status=live}}</ref> He scored 20 not out and was not called on to bowl in the second innings.<ref name=o/>

In the next Shield match against Victoria, led by Australian captain [[Lindsay Hassett]], Benaud came in for attack.<ref name=o/> Hassett was known for his prowess against spin bowling, being the only batsman to score centuries in a match against the leg-spin of [[Bill O'Reilly (cricketer)|Bill O'Reilly]], regarded as the finest bowler of his age.<ref name=hassettobit>{{cite news|last1=Frith|first1=David|title=Obituary: Lindsay Hassett|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-lindsay-hassett-1492168.html|access-date=10 April 2015|work=The Independent|date=17 June 1993|archive-date=16 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416113537/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-lindsay-hassett-1492168.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Hassett struck 179 in four hours, and took 47 runs from Benaud's seven overs. The young leg spinner claimed Hassett in the second innings when a ball landed in a crack and skidded through onto his foot. He ended with 3/56, the first time he had taken three wickets in a match.<ref name=o/>

In the next match against South Australia, he made 48, took 4/93 and 1/29 and suffered three dropped catches by the wicketkeeper in successive balls. Benaud was cementing his position and was in the senior team for four consecutive matches even with the Test players available.<ref name=o/> He was selected for an Australian XI match against England, in what was effectively a trial for Test selection, but suffered a chipped bone in his thumb. This put him out of action until the last match of the season,<ref>Benaud, pp. 44–46.</ref> leaving him with little opportunity to impress the national selectors for his rise to international cricket. Benaud returned and scored 37 and took a total of 2/68 in the final match, ending the season with 184 runs at 36.80 and 11 wickets at 34.63.<ref name=o/>