Emmanuel Benjamin (born 2 February 1955), nicknamed Benji, is an Australian former professional

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er who played at high levels in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, and

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. He was born in India, but emigrated to Australia in the 1980s and became a naturalised Australian citizen.

Life and career

Born in

Jullundur Jalandhar is the third most-populous city in the Indian state of Punjab and the largest city in Doaba region. Jalandhar lies alongside the Grand Trunk Road and is a well-connected rail and road junction. Jalandhar is northwest of the state ...

, Benjamin toured the British Isles with an India Schools representative side during the 1973 English season, playing six matches alongside future

Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

player Bharath Reddy and several other future first-class cricketers. After playing for a North Zone schools side in the under-age

Cooch Behar Trophy The Cooch Behar Trophy is India's national four-day cricket tournament for under-19 players. It has been held annually since the 1945–46 season. It is run by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. History The trophy was donated by, and ...

, Benjamin made his first-class debut in October 1973, taking two wickets for a Vazir Sultan Tobacco Colts XI against a

Hyderabad Cricket Association Hyderabad Cricket Association is the governing body of cricket activities in the Hyderabad and other districts in the state of Telangana in India and the Hyderabad cricket team. It is affiliated to the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The ...

XI in the quarter-final of the

Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup Tournament The Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup Tournament is an Indian cricket competition that has been held in Hyderabad (and sometimes nearby Secunderabad) since 1930-31. From 1930-31 to 1937-38, and from 1962-63 to 1973-74, it had first-class status. 1930-31 t ...

. A bowling

all-rounder An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a handful of batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are consi ...

, he debuted for

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

later that month, taking 5/37 on debut against

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

, and was a regular in

Ranji Trophy The Ranji Trophy (also known as Mastercard Ranji Trophy for sponsorship reasons) is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between multiple teams representing regional and state cricket associations. Board of Control for Cr ...

teams through to the 1977–78 season. His best innings figures also came against Jammu and Kashmir – 6/51 in November 1975 to help bowl out the side for 167 in the first innings. Benjamin spent the 1980 English season playing for

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

in the

Minor Counties Championship The NCCA 3 Day Championship (previously the Minor Counties Cricket Championship) is a season-long competition in England and Wales that is contested by the members of the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA), the so-called national cou ...

, a spell which included half-centuries against

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

and

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

. His best figures in the competition, 6/85, came against

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

in both teams' last match of the season, which was not enough to prevent a one-wicket loss after Suffolk's final three batsmen put on 89 runs (including 53

not out In cricket, a batter is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings. The batter is also ''not out'' while their innings is still in progress. Occurrence At least one batter is not out at t ...

from Colin Rutterford). During the 1981–82

Sheffield Shield The Sheffield Shield (currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Marsh Sheffield Shield) is the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Sheffield Shi ...

season, Benjamin played a single match for

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, bowling 23 overs without taking a wicket. Remaining in Australia, he had a long career for the Ulverstone Cricket Club at

grade cricket Grade cricket, also known as Premier Cricket is the name of the senior inter-club or district cricket competitions in each of the Australian states and territories. The term may refer to: *Victorian Premier Cricket * NSW Premier Cricket *Queensl ...

level, and became a naturalised citizen of Australia in 1991. A resident of

Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

(near Ulverstone), Benjamin unsuccessfully contested the

Division of Braddon The Division of Braddon is an Australian electoral division in the state of Tasmania. The current MP is Gavin Pearce of the Liberal Party, who was elected at the 2019 federal election. Braddon is a rural electorate covering approximately ...

for the Tasmanian branch of the National Party at the 2014 state election. He received 0.79% of first preference votes, while the party's candidates collectively received 2.16% on first preferences.Final results: 2014 House of Assembly elections
– Tasmanian Electoral Commission. Final as of 27 March 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benjamin, Emmanuel 1955 births Australian cricketers Australian people of Punjabi descent Bedfordshire cricketers Australian expatriate cricketers in England Indian cricketers Indian emigrants to Australia Living people National Party of Australia politicians Naturalised citizens of Australia Cricketers from Jalandhar Punjab, India cricketers Tasmania cricketers

Life and career

See also

References