Ian Botham Turns 67: Interesting Facts About the Legendary England All-Rounder

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IAN BOTHAM: Ian Botham is one of the finest cricketers that England has ever produced. Botham truly belongs in the pantheon of greats, and it was evident in the 1981 Ashes series. Although every Ashes series is a thrilling contest, that particular series is remembered as one of the greatest ever played. Ian Botham, who was the Player of the Match in the three games that England won, had a huge role to play.

In the third Test match at Headingly, Botham scored 149 runs in the second innings that helped England script an astonishing comeback in the match. Riding on the back of Botham’s exceptional knock, England became the first team in the history of cricket to win a Test match after following on. Botham’s excellence with the bat and ball in that match encapsulated his sheer genius.

On the eve of his Ian Botham’s 67th birthday, let us look at some interesting facts pertaining to his stellar career.

1. Ian Botham has been involved in raising funds for research into leukaemia. He has organised and participated in long-distance walks for the cause. Botham was awarded the knighthood for his commendable charity work in 2007.
2. He was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2009.
3. Ian Botham had a very close friendship with the legendary West Indies batter Vivian Richards.
4. Sir Ian Botham was no stranger to controversies. He was suspended for two months for smoking cannabis in 1986. Moreover, former Pakistan captain Imran Khan accused Ian Botham of ball tampering in 1994. Imran Khan even won a contentious libel case in London after Botham and Allan Lamb accused him of calling them uneducated racists.
5. The indefatigable Ian Botham was the fastest to score 1000 runs and take 100 wickets in Test cricket.
6. A true allrounder, Botham holds the record for scoring a century and taking 5 wickets in an innings of a Test match most number of times.
7. Botham is one of the few distinguished cricketers who have scored 5000 runs and claimed more than 350 wickets in the toughest format of the game.

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