Editorial: Game won't be the same

Richie Benaud was a much loved and respected cricket commentator.

It's not often New Zealanders express so much grief and sadness at the death of an Australian sportsperson. But credit where credit is due in the case of former Australian cricket captain and commentator Richie Benaud.

As a young cricketing lad I well remember the infamous underarm incident of 1981. I remember being told at training that we would never do something like that, and being a good sport, having fun and not cheating were the most important things in sport.

At the time, Benaud was the first of only a handful of Australian cricketers to express their disgust and dismay at what his fellow countrymen did that day, and in doing so endeared himself forever to Kiwi sports fans.

On and off the pitch he was a gentleman and upheld the values of the game in his words and actions.

It's a testament to him and his family that they have turned down the offer of a state funeral by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott - to be honest, a state funeral is probably taking things a step too far, but Mr Abbott is not known for his decision-making prowess.

Thankfully, we will not have a replay of the over-the-top outpouring of grief for young Aussie cricketer Phillip Hughes, who was tragically killed by a bouncer in November.

While cricket fans worldwide hold Benaud up as the shining light of fairness, decency and professionalism, the real tragedy is that none of the new generation of Australian cricket commentators thought it wise to follow in his footsteps or learn from his example.

Throughout the recent Cricket World Cup, fans would do anything to try and get away from the one-eyed, frivolous and often arrogant comments from the new wave of comments-men, such as Michael Slater, Ian Healy and Mark Taylor, who would drone on and on about their glory days and the God-like exploits of their Aussie cricketers.

Sadly, we're stuck with them for the time being.