Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #69347 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-02-06
• Rating: Exempt
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 90 minutes

Synopsis
Legendary Australian test cricketer and commentator, Richie Benaud, chooses his all-time best team.

Customer Reviews

......" Morning everyone "......
Picking the greatest cricketers of the last century is not an easy task, but deciding who you would employ for this post is much easier in comparison. Richie Benaud is the ideal candidate to take on the role as he has played the game and also commentated on it in a long lifespan in cricket. He was also one of the greats himself as a player. It is easy to forget how great a player he was and this is due to his immense contributions to broadcasting. Richie is knowledgeable, likable and his influence is unmatched. Often dubbed the voice of cricket, he is also the face of cricket as well. He has been part of the international scene since 1953, and has attended more tests than anyone else.

Richie picks his team and gives his reasons in an interview which lasts one hour forty minutes. The interview is long and insightful and the enthusiastic Mark Nicholas acts as the interviewer. During the interview Richie also chooses two back up players for each eventual player in the side. He comments on the back up players and tells us why he left them out of the eventual Xl. There is player coverage and the video footage is excellent especially that of Bradman, Hobbs and Hutton. This is good insight for anyone who hasn't seen these early 20th century players before. We get to see the statistics of the players he chooses in terms of wickets and runs scored. The countdown is constructive and Ritchie deals with each category of his final Xl in steps.

There are bound to be people who disagree with Richie's selection but I for one will not be one of them. I may have my own personal favorites such as Wasim Akram and Steve Waugh, but compared to Richie, I am vastly under qualified to challenge the greatest Xl of a whole 100 years. Others will argue that discussions regarding some of the key players are sparse, but in your observations it's important to realise that this is a personal account from one man and he will structure his views in a way he thinks fit.

The bonus features are also pleasing and this includes a twenty minute documentary on Richie's career. Anyone who felt short changed at the Ashes 2005 DVD for not providing a documentary on Richie's broadcasting life, should turn to this extra feature, to totally redeem themselves. There are also useful statistics of the other back up players who did not make it into the final Xl.

Richie's Greatest Xl is a surprise package; well presented, organised and with good graphics proving that there has been time spent on this DVD. It's also educational, and being the team of a century (20th) which has long gone; it's an evergreen DVD and a must buy for any cricket fan. On the quiet words of Richie himself - " it's a great honour ".