Tributes have poured in for former Australian cricketer and commentator Richie Benaud who has died in a Sydney hospice, aged 84.

Benaud, widely regarded as one of the most influential people in the game's history, had been receiving radiation treatment for skin cancer since November.

Channel Nine, the Australian network where he took the lead commentator's position in 1977, said he had died in his sleep on Thursday night local time.

Nine's head of sport, Steve Crawley said: 'You didn't have to know Richie to love him - everything about him..