Australia pays tribute to cricket legend Richie Benaud

Flags at the Sydney Cricket Ground flew at half-mast as tributes poured in for former Australia cricket captain and pioneering television commentator, Richie Benaud. 84-year-old Benaud, considered one of the most influential cricket identities of the past century, had been fighting skin cancer and died overnight in a Sydney hospice, with his wife, Daphne, and other family members by his side.Planning has begun for a state funeral which has been offered to his family. A veteran of 63 test matches, Benaud played a pivotal role in the formation of World Series Cricket in the 1970s and was one of the world's most recognised commentators, in Australia where he anchored the Nine Network's cricket coverage for decades, and in Britain.