Cricket Equipment � History � Ian Botham Makes History

Take a look at the incredible career of Ian Botham, whose ability with his cricket equipment will go down in history for many years to come

In 1978, Ian Botham bowled into cricket history when he became the first man to score a century and take eight wickets in one innings of a Test match. This achievement gained Botham further recognition nationally and he went on to have an incredible career in cricket with his golden equipment.

Ian Terence Botham OBE, was born on the 24 th November 1955 in Heswall, Cheshire . Nick-named �Beefy' by many of his cricket team mates, Botham went on to have an incredible career on the cricket pitch � he certainly had the right equipment to change the face of cricket for the future and will be remembered in history books for many years to come.

Botham was a genuine all-rounder, playing for three county teams and mores significantly for Somerset CCC. His Test career spanned 15 years from 1977 when he was just 22 years old. Now, having hung up his cricket equipment we can look back on some of the revered Englishman's greatest achievements in the history of cricket.

Throughout his career, Botham used his cricket equipment in 102 matches , scoring 5,200 runs at 33.54; taking 383 wickets at an average of 28.40; and holding 120 catches. In first-class cricket, he scored 19,399 runs at 33.97, took 1,172 wickets at 27.22 and held 354 catches. Botham has a number of notable all-round achievements and made history yet again in 1980, playing against India , when he became the first player to score a century and take ten wickets in a Test match.

Looking at the history of cricket players who have accomplished the "all-round double" of 2000 runs and 200 wickets in Test cricket, Botham did so in fewest matches, needing just 42 to achieve his goal, while the next best is 50 achieved jointly by Imran Khan and Kapil Dev . It's clear that throughout his career, Botham had the cricket equipment required to break records and amaze all who watched him with his ability on the cricket pitch.

Ian Botham went on to be named in history as one of England 's greatest ever all-round cricket players. One of his best performances was in the 1981 Ashes series against Australia . After a poor run of results ending with a draw in the second Test, he resigned the England captaincy. England were one down and facing almost certain defeat in the third Test at Headingley. Botham's cricket equipment saved the match, England ended up winning the series three-one, and the all-rounder's legendary status was assured.

Botham's career spanned from 1977-92 and his highest-ever batting score was 208. His best performance with his cricket equipment was recorded in history as eight wickets for 34 runs. Since retiring from the game, he has become a television commentator and in 2003 became an adviser to his old county team of Somerset .

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