Ian Botham’s International career in numbers

One of the greatest all-rounders to grace the game, Ian Botham, led England to many victories with his all-round display in the Test cricket and helped them win the Ashes. Without his contributions, England’s dominance in Ashes in the 1980s wouldn’t have been possible as they won five out of six Ashes series from 1977 to 1986/87 as Botham scored 1424 runs and took 125 wickets in 29 Tests in this span.

On occasion of Ian Botham’s 62nd birthday, here we look the all-rounder’s career records:

1 – He was the first ever player in Test history to score a century and take ten wickets in a Test match. He scored 114 and took 13 wickets against India in 1980 at Mumbai. After him, Imran Khan (117 runs; 11 wickets) against India in 1983 and Shakib Al Hasan (137 and 6 runs; 10 wickets) against Zimbabwe in 2014 achieved this double. Earlier in 1960, Australia’s Alan Davidson made 124 runs (80 and 44) across both innings of a Test against West Indies and bagged 11 wickets.

1 – Botham is the only player with over 1400 runs and 140 wickets against an opposition in Test cricket. He scored 1673 runs and took 148 wickets over Australia in this format. In International cricket, his 2351 runs and 183 wickets against the Aussies make him the only player with 1500 runs and 150 wickets against an opponent.

2 – He is only next to Kapil Dev with 5000 runs and 300 wickets in Test history. Botham scored 5200 runs and took 383 wickets in his Test career. He also grabbed 120 catches as a fielder which puts him on the list of players with 5000 runs, 200 wickets and 100 catches in Test cricket alongside Gary Sobers and Jacques Kallis.

2 – Number of calendar years in which Botham scored 500 runs and took 50 wickets in Test cricket. He did the double in 1978 and 1981. Kapil Dev and Shaun Pollock are the only others to achieve this calendar year double in this format.

3 – Botham is one of the three players with 300 runs and 30 wickets in a Test series. He scored 399 runs and took 34 wickets in the 1981 Ashes, often regarded as the Botham’s Ashes. Australia’s George Giffen (475; 34) in 1894/95 Ashes and Richie Benaud (329; 30) against South Africa in 1957/58 are the other two players.

5 – Number of occasions in Test cricket when Botham scored a century and took a 5-fer in the same game. No other player in this format so far has done this double more than twice. He has scored a fifty-plus and took a 5-fer in 11 Tests which is also the most for any player.

27 – His 27 five-wicket hauls are the most for an England player in this format. His eight 5-fers at Lord’s are the most for a pacer at a venue in Test cricket. Botham’s 383 wickets were the highest by his countryman before James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

28 – He holds the record for the fastest fifty by an England player in Test cricket which he scored off 28 balls against India in 1981/82. Botham also recorded the 2nd fastest Test fifty for England off 32 balls against New Zealand in 1986. The former all-rounder has a total of three centuries in less than 100 balls in Tests while all other England players have managed to score that many.