Ian Botham

Ian Botham, Baron Botham, born on 24 November 1955, is an English cricket commentator, member of the House of Lords, former cricketer and charity fundraiser, and has chaired Durham County Cricket Club since 2017. An all-rounder, he represented England in Test and One-Day International cricket and was part of the English squads that finished as runners-up at the 1979 and 1992 Cricket World Cups. He played most of his first-class cricket for Somerset, and also for Worcestershire, Durham and Queensland. He was an aggressive right-handed batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler known for his swing bowling, who fielded close to the wicket, predominantly in the slips. In Tests he scored 14 centuries with a highest score of 208, took 27 five-wicket hauls and four ten-wicket hauls, and from 1986 to 1988 held the world record for Test wickets until Sir Richard Hadlee overtook him. In 1980 he became the second player in Test history to complete the match double of 100 runs and 10 wickets in the same match.