Former Australian leg spinner Stuart MacGill has revealed that late commentating doyen Richie Benaud never really felt apart from his wife whenever he was away for extended periods of time and used to raise a glass of wine to her every evening from whichever corner of the world he was.
Benaud, the former Australia captain and legendary broadcaster, passed away on Friday aged 84 after battling skin cancer,
Recalling his most treasured memories of the Australian cricket great, MacGill stated that to define Benaud solely by the game of cricket -to describe him as merely a former player and commentator- sells short the rich and varied experiences he accrued across many countries and cultures and over 83 remarkably well-lived years.
In his column for News.com.au, MacGill revealed that he had a discussion early in his career where he informed Benaud that he suffered from home sickness, and that regardless of the length of his trips he always felt as though his true place was at home.
Then, when the legspinner asked Benaud how he coped with being apart from 'Mrs. Benaud' for extended periods of time, the commentating doyen had said that wherever they were their routine remained the same.
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Benaud had said that it was as though they were sitting together on a terrace in Sydney or in the south of France, adding that at 6.30 every evening he poured himself a glass of wine and raised a glass to Mrs. Benaud.
Benaud had revealed that he knew that although they might be on opposite sides of the world, his wife was doing the same thing, adding that they were never really apart while they were still doing the things that they loved.
MacGill claimed that the conversation had left him completely and appropriately speechless, adding that he realized over the course of that dinner that Benaud and his wife had more to teach him and the rest of his uber-confident teammates than he had ever realised.
