One of the greatest all-rounders to have graced the gentlemen’s game, ‘Sir’ Ian Botham celebrates his 64th birthday on Sunday. Born on 24 November 1955, Botham was one of those cricketers who could have made his place both as a specialist batsman or a pure bowler. The great was an aggressive right-handed batsman and a right-arm pacer who has dismantled many prominent batting line-ups in the world. These attributes are not common to find in any cricketer which made Botham a force to reckon with. He has guided England to several victories single-handedly and his blitz might still be giving nightmares to his former opponents. Ben Stokes Does an Ian Botham in the Third Ashes Test at Headingley, Cricket Fraternity Hails the England All-Rounder.

Be it scoring crucial runs, taking wickets in a cluster or saving runs, there was barely anything Botham can’t do on a cricket field. The former made his international debut in August 1976 and tormented the opposition for a decade and a half in International cricket. The all-rounder registered 5200 runs and 383 wickets in 102 matches. In ODIs, the former had 2113 runs and 145 wickets in 116 outings. These numbers aren’t easy to achieve and certainly speak volume of Botham’s capabilities. Meanwhile, let’s look at some lesser-known things and some great performances of the legendary cricketer. Jofra Archer Overtakes Ian Botham to Become the Highest Wicket-Taking England Bowler in a Single Edition of World Cup.

  • Along with being a terrific cricketer, Botham was interested in Football too and has played for club Scunthorpe United.

  • The pacer’s tally of 383 Test wickets was highest for an English bowler before James Anderson overtook him in 2015.

  • Botham is actually a color-blind but his blitz never made anyone feel about his problem.

  • The legendary all-rounder has been involved in fund-raising and is undertaking a total of 12 long-distance charity walks.

  • Botham tied knots with Kathryn Waller in 1976 and they have a son and two daughters.

5/41 Against Australia in Melbourne

Playing against arch-rivals Australia in the fourth Test of Ashes 1986-87, Botham delivered a spectacular spell and rattled the hosts’ batting line-up in the first innings of the match. He made the ideal use of the bowling conditions and claimed a five-wicket haul. His effort restricted the home side for mere 141 runs in the first innings and later England clinched the clash by an innings and 14 runs.

108 & 8/34

The former all-rounder was at his premium best in the second Test of Pakistan’s 1978 Tour of England. Batting first in the, match, the star attacked the bowlers from the outset and went on to score a quick-fire century. However, his best was seen with the ball as he bowled a spectacular spell in the last innings of the match and dismissed eight batsmen. Riding on his all-round show, England won the match by an innings and 120 runs.

208 Against India in Oval

Botham’s highest score in the longest format of the game came against India in their 1982 Tour of England. In the third Test of the series, Botham came out to bat at number five and took the Indian bowlers by storm. He rained boundaries and maximums all-over the ground to muster a scintillating double-ton. Courtsey his brilliance, England posted 594 runs in the first innings but the match ended in a draw.

6/95 & 149* in Leeds

Another all-round performance by Botham was seen in the 3rd Test of Ashes 1981. He rattled the Aussie batting line-up in the first innings of the match. However, the match will be remembered for his majestic knock with the bat. In reply to Australia’s 401, the hosts were packed for 174 runs and were asked to follow-on. Their top-order tumbled again. However, Botham unleashed his carnage and scored unbeaten 149 runs and guided England to 18-run victory.

After the retirement of Botham, England were gifted with Andrew Flintoff who all proved his mettle in all-the departments. In the current lot, the English Team is enjoying the services of Ben Stokes who has also guided England to several victories single-handedly and will eye to replicate Botham’s numbers in International cricket.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 24, 2019 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).