Dale Benkenstein
Encyclopedia
Dale Martin Benkenstein (born 9 June 1974) is a South Africa
n cricket
er and all-rounder.
, Zimbabwe
), the son of Martin Benkenstein
, who had played for Rhodesia in the Currie Cup
in the 1970s. In 1980, around the time of Zimbabwean independence, Martin moved his family to Durban
, South Africa
. There, Benkenstein attended Highbury Preparatory School
and Michaelhouse
schools. He captained the SA Schools side in 1992, and led the SA Colts team to the West Indies in the same year.
. Marshall's analytical captaincy style made an impression on the young Benkenstein, who was later quoted as saying "In my eyes, he took the art of captaincy to another level." When Marshall left Natal at the end of the 1996 season, Benkenstein, still only 22, was selected to succeed him as captain. While he got off to an unsteady start as captain, with Natal being heavily defeated by Border
in his first game at the helm, he later recovered and led the team to win both the four-day and one-day domestic competitions.
at Dhaka
in 1998/99, when the teams were playing in the quarter-final of the Wills International Cup. Despite some useful contributions, including 69 against the West Indies at Cape Town
in 1998 and 3/5 against Kenya in the 2002/03 ICC Champions Trophy
tournament, he never managed to establish himself as a permanent member of the team. Benkenstein later admitted that he had not taken full advantage of the opportunities that came his way at the international level.
. He went on to score 1,427 runs, which was a run scoring record at Durham until his mark was overtaken by Michael Di Venuto
in 2009.
Dale has been quoted as to saying 2008 may be his last season in the sport as he wants to spend more time with his wife Jacqueline and children in Consett
in 2009, based on his work with Durham in the English county championship.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er and all-rounder.
Early life
Benkenstein was born in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now HarareHarare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
), the son of Martin Benkenstein
Martin Benkenstein
Martin Benkenstein , is a former South African cricketer. A right-hand batsman, he represented both Natal and Rhodesia...
, who had played for Rhodesia in the Currie Cup
SuperSport Series
The SuperSport Series is the main domestic first class cricket competition in South Africa, first contested in 1889-90. From 1990-91 it became known as the Castle Cup, and from 1996-97 by its current title...
in the 1970s. In 1980, around the time of Zimbabwean independence, Martin moved his family to Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. There, Benkenstein attended Highbury Preparatory School
Highbury Preparatory School
Highbury Preparatory School is a private school for boys located in Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.-History:Highbury was founded in 1903 by Sibella Douglas McMillan. It was named after Highbury House School in England, which was established by Sibella McMillan's father, the Rev Charles...
and Michaelhouse
Michaelhouse
Michaelhouse is a full boarding senior school for boys founded in 1896. It is located in the Balgowan valley in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.- History :...
schools. He captained the SA Schools side in 1992, and led the SA Colts team to the West Indies in the same year.
Natal
Benkenstein made his debut at the age of 18 for Natal in the 1993/94 season, playing under the tutelage of Malcolm MarshallMalcolm Marshall
By 1984 Marshall was seen as one of the finest bowlers in the world, and he demoralised England that summer, especially at Headingley, where he ran through the order in the second innings to finish with 7-53, despite having broken his thumb whilst fielding in the first innings...
. Marshall's analytical captaincy style made an impression on the young Benkenstein, who was later quoted as saying "In my eyes, he took the art of captaincy to another level." When Marshall left Natal at the end of the 1996 season, Benkenstein, still only 22, was selected to succeed him as captain. While he got off to an unsteady start as captain, with Natal being heavily defeated by Border
Border cricket team
Border cricket team is the team representing the Border province in domestic first-class cricket in South Africa. The team began playing in March 1898....
in his first game at the helm, he later recovered and led the team to win both the four-day and one-day domestic competitions.
South Africa
Benkenstein had represented his country many times as a junior, including a stint as captain of the South African Schools side, and in the under-19 development team. Benkenstein's senior ODI debut for South Africa came against EnglandEnglish cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
at Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
in 1998/99, when the teams were playing in the quarter-final of the Wills International Cup. Despite some useful contributions, including 69 against the West Indies at Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
in 1998 and 3/5 against Kenya in the 2002/03 ICC Champions Trophy
ICC Champions Trophy
The ICC Champions Trophy is a One Day International cricket tournament, second in importance only to the Cricket World Cup. It was inaugurated as the ICC Knock Out tournament in 1998 and has been played every two years since, changing its name to the Champions Trophy in 2002...
tournament, he never managed to establish himself as a permanent member of the team. Benkenstein later admitted that he had not taken full advantage of the opportunities that came his way at the international level.
Durham
When Benkenstein joined Durham for the 2005 season, he collected the club's player of the year award during his first attempt. During this time he also filled in as skipper for the absent Mike Hussey and Paul CollingwoodPaul Collingwood
Paul David Collingwood MBE is an English cricketer. He has been a regular member of the England Test side, was captain of the One Day International team 2007–2008. He is also vice-captain of his county, Durham County Cricket Club. Collingwood is a batting all-rounder, whose batting...
. He went on to score 1,427 runs, which was a run scoring record at Durham until his mark was overtaken by Michael Di Venuto
Michael Di Venuto
Michael James Di Venuto is a former Australian cricketer of Italian descent who played first-class cricket for Tasmanian Tigers and One Day Internationals for Australia. Although he has retired from representative cricket in Australia, he currently continues to play for Durham CCC. He has also...
in 2009.
Dale has been quoted as to saying 2008 may be his last season in the sport as he wants to spend more time with his wife Jacqueline and children in Consett
Consett
Consett is a town in the northwest of County Durham, England, about southwest of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is home to 27,394 .Consett sits high on the edge of the Pennines. In 1841, it was a village community of only 145, but it was about to become a boom town: below the ground was coking coal and...
Awards
Benkenstein was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the YearWisden Cricketers of the Year
The Wisden Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season"...
in 2009, based on his work with Durham in the English county championship.
Style
Benkenstein is a right-handed batsman, and a right-arm off-break or right-arm medium paced bowler.Career best performances
as of 19 July 2011| Batting | Bowling | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Fixture | Venue | Season | Score | Fixture | Venue | Season | |
| ODI | 69 | South Africa v West Indies | Cape Town Newlands Cricket Ground Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town is a South African cricket ground. It's the home of the Cape Cobras, who play in the SuperSport Series, MTN Domestic Championship and Standard Bank Pro20 competitions. It is also a venue for Test matches. Newlands is regarded as one of the most beautiful cricket... |
1999 | 3-5 | South Africa v Kenya | Colombo (RPS) R. Premadasa Stadium R. Premadasa Stadium is a cricket stadium situated on Khettarama Road, Maligawatta, Colombo, Sri Lanka. The stadium was, prior to June 1994, known as the Khettarama Cricket Stadium and is today one of the main venues in which the Sri Lankan cricket team play... |
2002 |
| FC First-class cricket First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams... |
259 | KwaZulu-Natal v Northerns Northerns cricket team Northerns cricket team has played first-class cricket in South Africa since December 1937.... |
Durban | 2005 | 4-16 | Dolphins Dolphins cricket team The Sunfoil Dolphins is the name used by the KwaZulu Natal cricket team when it plays in the South African SuperSport Series first class competition; also in the MTN Domestic Championship and Standard Bank Twenty20 limited over competitions... v Warriors |
Durban | 2005 |
| LA | 107* | Natal v North West North West cricket team North West cricket team plays first-class cricket in South Africa.For the purposes of the SuperSport Series, North West has merged with Gauteng North West cricket team (formerly Western Transvaal cricket team) plays first-class cricket in South Africa.For the purposes of the SuperSport Series,... |
Fochville | 1997 | 4-16 | Durham Durham County Cricket Club Durham County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Durham. Its limited overs team is called the Durham Dynamos. Their kit colours are blue with yellow trim and the shirt sponsor was... v Surrey Surrey County Cricket Club Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions... |
Chester-le-Street Riverside Ground The Riverside Ground, officially called the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground, is a cricket venue in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. It is home to Durham County Cricket Club.... |
2005 |
| T20 | 60 | Durham Durham County Cricket Club Durham County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Durham. Its limited overs team is called the Durham Dynamos. Their kit colours are blue with yellow trim and the shirt sponsor was... v Lamcashire Lancashire County Cricket Club Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then... |
Chester-le-Street Riverside Ground The Riverside Ground, officially called the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground, is a cricket venue in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. It is home to Durham County Cricket Club.... |
2011 | 3-10 | Durham Durham County Cricket Club Durham County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Durham. Its limited overs team is called the Durham Dynamos. Their kit colours are blue with yellow trim and the shirt sponsor was... v Yorkshire Yorkshire County Cricket Club Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure.... |
Leeds Headingley Stadium Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie .... |
2005 |