Editing Richie Benaud (section)

==Early Test career==
The [[West Indian cricket team in Australia in 1951–52|1951–52 season]] saw a tour to Australia by the [[West Indies cricket team|West Indies]]. Benaud was given a chance against the visiting team when New South Wales played them in Sydney after the First Test. On a green pitch, Benaud came in at 7/96 and featured in a century partnership in only an hour,<ref name=b4647/> making 43 himself. The Caribbeans were skittled for 134 in reply and went on to lose the match, although they attacked the young leg-spinner, who took 1/130 in total from 36 overs.<ref name=o/> Benaud scored his maiden first-class century, 117 against South Australia, in the next match, two years after falling short of the milestone by seven runs. In the next four matches, Benaud passed 15 only once, scoring a 34, and took only seven wickets. Up to this point, in seven matches for the season, the young all-rounder had only scored 307 runs at 27.90 and taken ten wickets at 64.80.<ref name=o/>

Despite this, Benaud was chosen for his Test debut in the Fifth Test against the West Indies in 1951–52 in Sydney. At this point, Australia had already taken an unassailable 3–1 series lead and decided to try out some young players.<ref name=auslist/> Selected as a batsman, he scored 3 and 19.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/149824.html |title=Che's quiet revolution |work=ESPN Cricinfo |date=25 January 2006 |access-date=28 January 2019 |archive-date=24 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924171250/https://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/149824.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Hassett allowed him to bowl only in the second innings, when nine West Indian wickets had fallen and Australia were on the verge of an inevitable victory. Leading opposition batsman [[Everton Weekes]] edged Benaud in his first over, but [[Gil Langley]] dropped the catch. Benaud went on to dismiss tail-ender [[Alf Valentine]] for his first Test wicket, conceding 14 runs from 4.3 overs.<ref name=o/><ref name=b4647>Benaud, pp. 46–47.</ref> Benaud ended his season with 97 and a total of 3/39 in an innings win over South Australia.<ref name=o/>

For the following Australian season in [[South African cricket team in Australia in 1952–53#Assessment|1952–53]], Benaud started modestly; and, in the five first-class matches before the Tests, he scored 208 runs at 26.00, including a 63 and 69, and 14 wickets at 38.64. This included figures of 2/70 and 4/90 against the touring
[[South African cricket team|South Africa]].<ref name=o/> However, this was not enough to ensure his selection in the First Test, where he was made 12th man. After scoring 60 and 37 and taking 1/60 in an Australian XI against the South Africans following the Test, he was selected for the Second Test.<ref>Benaud, pp. 59–61.</ref> He suffered a smashed gum and a severely cut top lip when a square cut by [[John Waite (cricketer)|John Waite]] in the Third Test against South Africa at the [[Sydney Cricket Ground]] hit him in the face while he was fielding at short gully.

Doctors told him he was lucky: it could have broken his cheekbones, jaw or removed his eyesight if it had hit any of the surrounding areas. It could have killed him if it had struck him where his skull was previously fractured. He married after the match and had to mumble his wedding vows through a swathe of bandages.<ref>Benaud, pp. 64–66.</ref> Benaud went on to play in the final four Tests. He made 124 runs at 20.66, making double figures in four of seven innings, but was unable to capitalise on his starts, with a top score of 45. His leg spin yielded ten wickets at 30.60, with a best of 4/118 in the Fourth Test in [[Adelaide]] when he was given a heavy workload, totalling 58 overs,<ref name=o/> when [[Ray Lindwall]] and [[Keith Miller]] broke down during the match.<ref>Benaud, p. 67.</ref><ref name="testlist">{{cite web |url=http://stats.cricinfo.com/guru?sdb=player;playerid=919;class=testplayer;filter=basic;team=0;opposition=0;notopposition=0;season=0;homeaway=0;continent=0;country=0;notcountry=0;groundid=0;startdefault=1952-01-25;start=1952-01-25;enddefault=1964-02-12;end=1964-02-12;tourneyid=0;finals=0;daynight=0;toss=0;scheduledovers=0;scheduleddays=0;innings=0;result=0;followon=0;seriesresult=0;captain=0;keeper=0;dnp=0;recent=;viewtype=aro_list;runslow=;runshigh=;batposition=0;dismissal=0;bowposition=0;ballslow=;ballshigh=;bpof=0;overslow=;overshigh=;conclow=;conchigh=;wicketslow=;wicketshigh=;dismissalslow=;dismissalshigh=;caughtlow=;caughthigh=;caughttype=0;stumpedlow=;stumpedhigh=;csearch=;submit=1;.cgifields=viewtype|title=Statsguru – R Benaud – Tests – Innings by innings list| access-date=5 January 2008|publisher=[[Cricinfo]]}}</ref> In another match for New South Wales against the touring team, he took a total of 5/95.<ref name=o/>

Up to this point, his first-class batting average was below 30 and his bowling average close to 40, and he had never taken more than four wickets in an innings or six in a match.<ref name=o/>
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:RBenaud1953.jpg|right|thumb|Benaud in his delivery stride, c. 1953]] -->
The selectors persisted in Benaud despite his unproductive Test performances, selecting him for the squad for the 1953 Ashes tour of England. He had been seventh and eighth in the domestic run-scoring and wicket-taking aggregates for the season, but was yet to convert this into international performance. He justified their decision prior to the team's departure, scoring 167 not out and taking match figures of 7/137 for the touring team against a Tasmania Combined XI, his wickets including Test batsmen Miller, [[Ian Craig]] and [[Neil Harvey]].<ref name=o/><ref name=ow/> He also put on 167 in a partnership with [[Alan Keith Davidson|Alan Davidson]], the first collaboration between the pair, who would later go on to lead Australia's bowling in the last five years of their career.<ref>Benaud, pp. 68–72.</ref> Benaud struck an unbeaten 100 and totalled 1/64 in the next match against Western Australia before the Australians departed for England.<ref name=o/>

On arrival in the British Isles, Benaud quickly made an impression with both bat and ball. After scoring 44 and taking 2/66 in the opening first-class match against [[Worcestershire CCC|Worcestershire]], the all-rounder starred in his next match, against [[Yorkshire County Cricket Club|Yorkshire]]. He scored 97 in Australia's only innings and then took 7/46 in the hosts' first innings as the Australians took an innings win.<ref name=o/> Although his form with the willow dropped off in his remaining six matches before the Tests—a 35 was his only score beyond 20 in seven attempts—Benaud continued to strike regularly with the ball. He took 18 wickets in these matches, including 3/20 and 3/37 against [[Oxford University Cricket Club|Oxford University]], 5/13 against [[Minor Counties]] and 4/38 against [[Hampshire CCC|Hampshire]]. This was enough for him to gain selection for the start of the Tests.<ref name=o/>

He managed only eight runs in four innings in the first two Tests, and having taken only two wickets for 136 runs was dropped for the Third.<ref name=o/> This was part of a month-long run in which he made only 123 runs in eight innings and took only seven wickets in four matches.<ref name=o/> He was recalled immediately for the Fourth Test, but was dropped for the Fifth after managing seven runs in his only innings and going wicketless. He ended the Test series with 15 runs at 3.00 and two wickets at 87.00.<ref name="testlist"/> It was thought that the surface at [[the Oval]] would favour pacemen, but Australia's selection proved to be a blunder<ref>Sir Don Bradman, [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51075109 "Bradman sums up on Tests: Lack of Intentness, Spinners Lost Ashes"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924171259/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/51075109 |date=24 September 2020 }}, ''The Courier-Mail'', 22 August 1953, pg. 9</ref> as England's spinners<ref>Tom Goodman, [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18383676 "Australia Loses Eight For 140 in Sensational Test Collapse"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924171259/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/18383676 |date=24 September 2020 }}, ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 19 August 1953, pg. 1</ref> took them to the only win of the series, allowing them to regain the Ashes.<ref name=auslist/>

He also showed his hitting ability in a tour match against T.N. Pearce's XI at [[Scarborough, North Yorkshire|Scarborough]]. Opening the batting, he struck 135 in 110 minutes in the second innings, including an Australian record of eleven sixes, four of them in one over.<ref name="az"/> In eight first-class matches after his Test campaign was over, Benaud added a further half-century in addition to the century against Pearce's XI, and took 22 more wickets, including 4/20 against the [[Gentlemen of England]].<ref name=o/>