(Part 1) 1977 - 1981.
| The legend of Ian Botham really began on the day when a young Somerset
all-rounder stood up from the blood he had left in the crease, spat out
the teeth knocked out by Andy Roberts, and battered Somerset to an
improbable cup victory over Hampshire. It was obvious then, that here
was someone special. Botham - nicknamed 'Guy the Gorilla' in those days -
made his England debut at Scarborough, in a ODI v West Indies. It was a
spectacular debut for the wrong reasons, caught off Michael Holding for
1 and hit for 26 off three overs. His Test debut was very different:
5-21 against Australia, plus some strong driving. He toured Pakistan
with Mike Brearley without playing a Test, but came into his own on the
New Zealand leg of the tour when Geoff Boycott had inherited the
captaincy. Botham scored 103 and took 8 wickets in the second Test and
ran out Boycott when he decided he was scoring too slowly. Against
Pakistan next summer he was unstoppable, with two centuries and 8-34 at
Lord's in an innings of unplayable late outswingers. In 1979 he helped
England qualify for the World Cup final. There was an indelible scene
that summer when both he and Mike Hendrick limped to the bowling crease
and throttled a New Zealand victory charge. 1981 was almost a tragedy -
after failing to topple the West Indies with 'up and at 'em' tactics
Botham, by now England captain, lost form and was dropped as captain and
almost as a player. His return is now folklore; 149 not out to snatch
an England victory from the jaws of defeat. This was repeated at
Edgbaston as he cut off the Aussie victory charge with 5 wickets for 1
run and a savage 118 at Old Trafford, hooking Dennis Lillee with his
eyes shut - sublime. (Bob Harragan) |
Photo of Ian Botham taken on 2nd. July 1984, by G. Herringshaw. ©
|
Throughout his middle Test Match years Botham was always struggling to
match the giant reputation he had built through his heroics of 1981. He
had to put up with niggling officialdom, carping criticism and, far
worse, the decline of his outswinger. It says much for the man that he
fought through all those and came out on top again, blasting the
Australians with bat and ball. His last great hurrah gave England the
Ashes for the last time in the 20th Century. There was no serious
decline in his form with the bat. In India with Keith Fletcher in
1981-82 he made 142 at Kanpur and indulged in some serious six-hitting
in a minor match at Indore. The following summer India conceded two more
centuries, including 208 at the Oval. He laid his personal West Indies
bogey in 1984, with three half-centuries (the picture above shows Beefy during his best ever innings of 81 against the Windies in the 2nd Test at Lord's)
and a series of up-and-at-'em bowling performances, notably 8 wickets
in an innings (also during the Lord's test) and 8 in the match at the
Oval. Australia in 1985 was another great series by all but 1981
standards, with 5-109 at Lords and 85 batting at number 8 in the match
of the two nightwatchmen. The most spectacular moment of the summer came
when he battered Craig McDermott, new ball and all, into the Edgbaston
pavilion. He was the lynchpin in both England's wins on Mike Gatting's
tour of Australia. A whirlwind 138 at Brisbane almost put an end to Merv
Hughes Test career before it started; then, at Melbourne he took 5-41
as he and Gladstone Small bowled Australia out cheaply on the first day.
That winter also saw an interesting experiment as he opened in the
one-day championship to open Perth's floodlights and demolished a bowler
called Simon Davis. (Bob Harragan)
|
Ian Botham batting for England on 24th. August 1992. Photo George Herringshaw. ©
(Part 3) 1987-1992.
| Botham, in his later years, may not have been quite the force of old as
his great body began to show stresses and strains and selectors -
wrongly, as he proved time and again - began to think they could replace
him with lesser mortals. In 1987 he moved to Worcestershire after a
winter of upheaval at Somerset. While that may have been the time his
attention wandered to other interests, sporting and charitable, there
was still plenty to offer for England. His attention certainly did not
wander at the Oval that year when he played his slowest England innings,
grinding out a half-century that took much of the last day as he and
skipper Mike Gatting successfully fought their way to a draw when defeat
loomed. After that, though, England teams began to appear without the
name 'Botham' on the scoresheet. He was recalled when the Australians
were running riot in 1989, top scoring in the Third Test with 46 but
missing the end of the series after injury. In 1991 he was back again
against the West Indies and Sri Lanka. By then problems with his back
had made him change his bowling style and he switched to a steady
line-and-length medium pace in the style of his old mentor at Somerset,
Tom Cartwright. As I.T.B. rode off into the sunset Graham Gooch, now
England captain, had one last big job for him: to open the batting in
the 1992 World Cup. England so nearly pulled off their first World Cup
victory. Indeed, Botham's 10 overs for 12 runs should have put eventual
winners Pakistan out of the competition at Adelaide had rain not
intervened. There was a last tilt at the Australians - 53 & 4-31 in
an England win at Sydney - and a second World Cup final appearance as
Botham headed off into legend. (Bob Harragan) |