Famous Cricketers No 83 - Ian Botham

86. ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND, Auckland, March 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 (Match drawn) c G.N.Edwards b R.O.Collinge 53 429 34 4 109 5 R.W.Anderson c M.W.Gatting 315 M.G.Burgess c D.W.Randall B.E.Congdon c G.Miller J.M.Parker lbw R.J.Hadlee c G.R.J.Roope 13 1 51 0 382-8 1 SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct Test matches 3 5 1 212 103 53.00 1 1 5 England in Pakistan 3 2 1 22 22* 22.00 - - 2 England in NZ 3 5 2 163 126* 54.33 1 - - Tour 9 12 4 397 126* 49.62 2 1 7 Career 86 139 19 3182 167* 26.51 4 15 71 Bowling O M R W BB Ave 5i 10m Strike RunR Test matches 101 17 311 17 5/73 18.29 2 - 47.52 38.49 England in Pakistan 41 8 153 4 2/31 38.25 - - 82.00 46.64 England in NZ 68.4 16 227 14 7/58 16.21 1 1 39.14 41.42 Tour (8 ball) 210.4 41 691 35 7/58 19.74 3 1 48.11 41.03 Career (6 ball) 2126 453 } 6997 281 7/58 24.90 15 3 51.38 48.45 (8 ball) 210.4 41 1978 Botham had great success as a bowler in 1978 taking 100 wickets in a season for the first time, one of only four bowlers to do so. In the Test Matches against Pakistan he took thirteen wickets at 16.07. This included an astonishing performance in the second Test at Lord’s when he took eight wickets for 34 runs which was to remain his best ever Test bowling performance. Wisden comments that “on a cloudless day, Botham swung the ball in astounding fashion. He beat the bat with three or four outswingers an over.” He was even more successful against New Zealand taking 24 wickets at 14.04 which included match figures of eleven for 140 at Lord’s. He was not as successful as a batsman hitting only 538 runs in the season at 26.90. He hit hundreds in the Tests at Edgbaston and Lord’s against Pakistan. For Somerset he took fifty-eight wickets in the Championship at 18.12, taking five wickets in an innings five times, but as a batsman he scored only 275 runs in 14 innings with just one fifty. He took eleven catches. His five for 43 for MCC against Middlesex at Lord’s included a hat-trick - C.T.Radley, G.D.Barlow and N.G.Featherstone - all bowled. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 87. MCC v Middlesex, Lord’s, April 19, (20), (21) (Match drawn) did not bat - 45-3 17.3 5 43 5 J.M.Brearley c P.R.Downton 167 C.T.Radley b G.D.Barlow b N.G.Featherstone b J.E.Emburey b 88. Somerset v Derbyshire, Burton-on-Trent, May 3, 4, (5) (Match drawn) c A.J.Borrington b R.E.Russell 0 84-8 23.1 8 48 3 A.Hill c G.I.Burgess 192 J.G.Wright b C.J.Tunnicliffe c D.J.S.Taylor 15