Famous Cricketers No 83 - Ian Botham

c H.A.Gomes b M.D.Marshall 25 150 3 0 24 0 39-0 277. ENGLAND v WEST INDIES, St.John’s, Antigua, April 11, 12, 13, 15, 16 (West Indies won by 240 runs) c R.A.Harper b J.Garner 10 310 40 6 147 2 C.G.Greenidge b 474 I.V.A.Richards b G.A.Gooch b R.A.Harper 13 170 15 0 78 0 246-2d SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct Test matches 5 10 0 168 38 16.80 - - 4 Other matches 3 6 0 211 70 35.16 - 1 2 Tour 8 16 0 379 70 23.68 - 1 6 Career 277 430 31 13816 228 34.62 29 65 252 Bowling O M R W BB Ave 5i 10m Strike RunR Test matches 134.5 16 535 11 5/71 48.63 1 - 73.54 66.13 Other matches 46 10 136 4 2/28 34.00 - - 69.00 49.27 Tour (6 ball) 180.5 26 671 15 5/71 44.73 1 - 72.33 61.84 Career (6 ball) 7253.5 1639 } 23628 911 8/34 25.93 51 7 51.72 50.14 (8 ball) 449.7 85 1986 This was Botham’s last season as a Somerset player as the row involving the sackings of Richards and Garner at the end of the season led to his decision to leave the County in sympathy with his colleagues. It was a mixed season for him as he missed nine weeks of it through suspension by the TCCB after admitting to smoking cannabis. This meant that he missed the three Test matches against India and the first two against New Zealand but he returned for the third match at Kennington Oval. It must have been a frustrating wait for him as he had finished the West Indies series with 354 Test wickets needing just one to equal the record then held by Australia’s Dennis Lillee. Once he got the ball in his hand at The Oval he wasted little time. With his first ball he took a wicket to equal the record and with the last ball of his second over he took another to break it. When England batted he hit two 6s and eight 4s in scoring 59 in 54 minutes, equalling another World record by taking 24 off an over by D.A.Stirling. His fifty came up in 32 balls. He hit two Championship hundreds including 104 in 66 balls against Worcestershire at Weston-super-Mare with seven 6s and ten 4s. He batted for just 64 minutes. At Old Trafford against Lancashire his 139 came off 79 balls in 82 minutes with nine 6s and seventeen 4s. Altogether he scored 863 runs in the season at an average of 47.94. His wickets were more expensive, twenty-five at an average of 41.72 and he held eight catches. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 278. Somerset v Yorkshire, Taunton, April (26), 27, 28 (Yorkshire won by 5 runs) innings forfeit 10 4 20 0 323-5d c A.A.Metcalfe b A.Sidebottom 30 318 innings forfeit 279. Somerset v Derbyshire, Chesterfield, April 30, May 1, 2 (Match drawn) c B.Roberts b M.A.Holding 61 309 18 1 61 3 I.S.Anderson b 223 J.E.Morris c I.V.A.Richards P.G.Newman c T.Gard 13 1 45 0 438-5d 1 280. Somerset v Gloucestershire, Taunton, May (21), 22, 23 (Somerset won by 118 runs) b D.V.Lawrence 61 348 - - - - 19-0d innings forfeit 8 0 27 0 211 281. Somerset v Glamorgan, Cardiff, May 24, 26, 27 (Match drawn) c A.L.Jones b G.C.Holmes 49 359 12 3 29 1 A.L.Jones lbw 314-7d c A.L.Jones b R.C.Ontong 47 111-6 13 4 28 0 243 1 282. Somerset v Worcestershire, Weston-super-Mare, August 2, 4, 5 (Somerset won by five wickets) not out 104 286-4d 20 3 70 1 T.S.Curtis b 379-4d 40