It is almost an impossible task to distill the 84 years of Richie Benaud’s life into a list of his finest moments, such was his influence on his sport and the nation.

The Australian Test captain, who went on to be one of the world’s leading commentators, died on Friday after a long battle with skin cancer.

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His stature in the word cricket, media and pop culture was immense.

Here are some of the treasured Australian’s best moments:

Test Cricket Debut

The boy from Penrith was always destined for the top, coming from a family of cricketers.

However Richie Benaud’s test match debut was certainly more conspicuous than the magnitude of his career that followed suggests.

On January 25 1952 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Richie Benaud put on his number 190 Baggy Green cap for the first time in a victory against the West Indies.

At the venue where he made his New South Wales debut two years earlier, Benaud scored three batting at seven and then 19 in the second innings. He bowled 4 overs in the second innings taking his first wicket – the scalp of tail-ender Alfred Valentine.

Benaud bowls in 1958 with his unique and effortless delivery style. Photo: Getty.

First Test Century

Remember that cricket bats weren’t as meaty in the fifties, nor were the fields as small.

His first Test century came 29 innings into his 97 innings career for Australia. Again, batting at eight, he smashed 121 in his side’s huge total of 758 declared against the West Indies in Jamaica.

That century was the fastest scored in a Test for 52 years – blazed in just over 78 minutes.

First Five Wicket Haul

Richie Benaud was Australia’s finest spinner until Shane Warne took that mantle.

He was a superb right arm leg spin bowler for Australia, finishing his career with 248 wickets at an average of 27.03. His first bag of dismissals came in the spin friendly sub-continent ground of Chennai in India.

Benaud terrorised the Indian’s that day in 1956, taking his best figures of 7/72 in just over 29 overs.

Richie becomes captain for the Ashes

In a role he was seemingly born for, Benaud took the captaincy of the Australian side in 1958 as England visited for an Ashes series they were favoured to win.

He took the role when then captain Ian Craig fell ill. He was limited in experience as a captain for his state side NSW, however the gamble from the selectors paid off.

The all-rounder excelled in the role, taking the Ashes comfortably and then moving the side to the top of world quickly in his 28 matches in charge.

His style was instinctive and incisive, yet very aggressive, which worked fabulously with the young side he took over. Benaud was a charismatic and charming figurehead for the Australian team and was considered a wonderful public relations representative for Australian cricket.

In charge of Australia, he won 12 tests, lost 4 and drew 12. His personal form did not waver from the added responsibility with his batting and bowling in particular becoming more consistent and damaging in the role.

The Tied Test

Perhaps the greatest game in the history of cricket – in December 1960 at the Brisbane Cricket Ground – was when Australia tied a Test match with the West Indies.

Benaud made a vital 52 in the second innings in a match that see-sawed in initiative and control from side to side.

With two balls remaining in the match, scores level and Australia with one wicket in hand, Aussie batsmen Ian Meckliff was sensationally run out, ending the match in a tie.

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The Face of World Series Cricket

With an English establishment that was running the game and the attention spans of fans into the ground, money man Kerry Packer devised a plan called World Series Cricket to revolutionise the sport and which has shaped how the game is consumed and played now.

In 1977, Packer chose Benaud as the man to host the in studio broadcast.

His inclusion as host was almost as important as the stars like Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thompson playing on the field because the commentators presence gave the whole operation an air of supreme confidence and legitimacy.

While his playing career was superb, it was hear as host and ‘Captain’ of the Channel 9 commentary team that Benaud shot himself into the stratosphere.

His timing, poise, sense of occasion, wit and accuracy as a commentator is something that every broadcaster in the cricketing world holds as the benchmark.

It is said it was his decision to stand out from the rest of the commentary team as its leader in the white suit coat – a level of recognition his commentary genius certainly deserved.

Australia’s most famous cultural icon?

It was his uniqueness that, more than any of the aforementioned aspects of Benaud’s commentary or on field prowess, set the man apart.

That white suit coat, bouncy Australian twang, diction when negotiating a score of 2/222 and dry as a desert style of humour made him literally impossible not to love.

He has been most famously immortalised in Australian culture through satire by Billy Birmingham aka The Twelfth Man, a hilarious take on the trials and tribulations of the happenings and idiosyncrasies of the Channel 9 commentary team.

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