Benaud Spirit of Cricket trophy to be unveiled at ING Cup Final

Cricket Australia is honouring the remarkable 50-plus year contribution which former Australian Test captain Richie Benaud has made to the game by naming its new annual Spirit of Cricket Awards in his honour.

A new Benaud Spirit of Cricket perpetual trophy will be unveiled during the innings break during this Sunday's ING Cup Final at the Gabba in Brisbane.

Richie Benaud and Cricket Australia Chairman Bob Merriman will jointly unveil the new trophy in a ceremony on the ground at the end of the first innings of the ING Cup final.

The trophy will be awarded on 10 March as part of the celebrations leading up to the Pura Cup Final starting on 12 March. ING Cup and Pura Cup umpires have voted on the award at the end of each game throughout the season.

Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer James Sutherland today said that Cricket Australia was delighted that the Benaud name could be so honoured.

"Richie Benaud has made a unique contribution to cricket as a player, as an innovative and aggressive captain, as a mentor to individual players and as a journalist and commentator," he said.

"He was one of those rare players who influenced the way the game is played and was at the centre of some of those epic moments of Australian cricket, such as the 1960-61 Tied Test in Brisbane that will live forever in our game's history.

"He has also played a pioneering cricket media role, not only with the value of his insightful commentary, but also in the very way in which the game is presented, particularly to television viewers.

"Richie Benaud was also an important influence in the formation of World Series Cricket, a climactic event at the time but one which has left a lasting, positive influence on the game.

"And he has for decades, both as a player and since, been a leader, mentor and positive influencer of an extraordinary number of cricketers.

"As one respected commentator has written, Richie Benaud is perhaps the most influential cricketer and cricket personality since the Second World War and we are delighted he has agreed to lend his family name to this important award.

The perpetual trophy features a cast of Richie Benaud's right hand about to flip a coin which features a profile of his head and the inscription: Benaud Award: Keep the Spirit Growing. The reverse side of the coin features the Cricket Australia shield logo.

The trophy will be engraved annually with the names of the men's and women's senior interstate teams judged by umpire voting to have played the season in the best spirit of the game and will be on public display throughout the year.

Each team will receive an individual trophy incorporating a replica of the coin from the main trophy, and the captains of the winning sides will receive an individual medal of the same design.

The design of the perpetual trophy symbolises the coming together of captains and umpires at the start of a game, and recognises the particular role which the Marylebone Cricket Club Laws of Cricket assign to captains and umpires in ensuring the game is played in the appropriate spirit.

The base of the trophy includes an inscription from the MCC's Preamble to the Laws of Cricket: "Cricket is a game which owes much of its appeal to the fact that it should be played not only within its laws but also within the Spirit of the Game".

Benaud Spirit of Cricket Awards are determined by umpire votes based on the conduct of all members of a team. National youth teams Benaud Spirit of Cricket Awards will also be made on 10 March.

The Spirit of Cricket Awards were introduced this season as part of Cricket Australia's commitment to improve the spirit in which the game is played at all levels throughout Australian male and female cricket.