Famous Cricketers No 83 - Ian Botham

1991 Botham’s last season for Worcestershire was also his most successful for them and Wisden comments that his five seasons with the County were the most successful in the Club’s history with two Championships and two one-day titles won. He made his highest score for Worcestershire, and gave the England selectors a nudge, by plundering 161 off the West Indies bowling at Worcester hitting one 6 and 32 fours in scoring the then fastest hundred of the season in just 83 balls. He returned to the Test team for the final Test at Kennington Oval where he scored 31 and 4 not out and took three wickets for 67 runs. He also played against Sri Lanka at Lord’s. For Worcestershire he hit a hundred against Lancashire and returned his best Championship bowling figures, seven for 54 against Warwickshire at Worcester. He took five wickets in an innings on two other occasions and altogether took 38 Championship wickets at 23.31. He scored 785 runs in all matches at an average of 43.61. It was a return to his best years. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 361. Worcestershire v Gloucestershire, Worcester, April 27, 28, (29), (30) (Match drawn) not out 39 255-4 34.2 8 125 5 R.J.Scott st S.J.Rhodes 450 1 J.W.Lloyds lbw R.C.Russell b D.R.Gilbert c T.S.Curtis A.M.Babington c G.J.Lord 362. Worcestershire v Lancashire, Worcester, May 9, 10, 11, 13 (Match drawn) c G.D.Lloyd b Wasim Akram 104 329 31.1 4 105 4 G.Fowler lbw 403 M.A.Atherton c P.A.Neale P.A.J.DeFreitas b G.Yates b c G.D.Lloyd b Wasim Akram 9 272 4 1 16 1 G.Yates lbw 148-9 363. Worcestershire v West Indians, Worcester, May 15, 16, 17 (Match drawn) c I.B.A.Allen b H.A.G.Anthony 161 288 29 5 83 2 C.G.Greenidge c S.R.Lampitt 409-7d R.B.Richardson c T.M.Moody - - - - 36-0 364. Worcestershire v Leicestershire, Worcester, June 28, 29, July 1 (Match drawn) lbw b C.C.Lewis 8 200-6d 17 4 59 1 C.C.Lewis lbw 305-7d not out 3 162-4 7 2 26 2 N.E.Briers lbw 204-3d J.J.Whitaker lbw 365. Worcestershire v Yorkshire, Headingley, July 2, 3, 4 (Yorkshire won by 115 runs) innings forfeit 7 0 27 0 291-8d 1 c S.D.Fletcher b P.Carrick 57 176 innings forfeit 366. Worcestershire v Hampshire, Portsmouth, July 16, 17, 18 (Match drawn) c V.P.Terry b K.J.Shine 26 164 11.5 2 51 3 K.D.James c T.M.Moody 419 R.J.Maru c S.J.Rhodes C.A.Connor c P.J.Newport c A.N.Aymes b K.J.Shine 42 360-6 367. Worcestershire v Derbyshire, Kidderminster, July 19, 20, 22 (Match drawn) c D.G.Cork b A.E.Warner 5 218 22 3 76 1 K.J.Barnett lbw 372 1 b O.H.Mortensen 17 424 - - - - 21-1 368. Worcestershire v Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, July 26, 27, 29 (Worcestershire won by 108 runs) c D.R.Gilbert b J.W.Lloyds 74 333 21 3 74 3 G.D.Hodgson c T.M.Moody 241 1 R.C.J.Williams c P.A.Neale D.V.Lawrence c S.J.Rhodes b D.V.Lawrence 0 224-9d 6 1 21 0 208 369. Worcestershire v Warwickshire, Worcester, August 2, 3, 5 (Worcestershire won by an innings and 33 runs) c A.A.Donald b Asif Din 81 454-8d 20 5 43 1 G.C.Small lbw 298 2 50