Sir Ian Terence Botham, OBE (born 24 November 1955) is an English former cricketer and current cricket commentator. Widely regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders in cricket history, Botham represented England in both Test and One-Day International cricket. 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, as a right arm fast-medium bowler, was noted for his swing bowling. He generally fielded close to the wicket, predominantly in the slips. In Test cricket, Botham scored 14 centuries with a highest score of 208, and from 1986 to 1988, he held the world record for the most Test wickets until overtaken by fellow all-rounder Sir Richard Hadlee. He took five wickets in an innings 27 times and 10 wickets in a match four times. In 1980, he became the second player in Test history to complete the "match double" of scoring 100 runs and taking 10 wickets in the same match.

Sir Ian Botham
OBE

Botham prior to the 3rd day of the 1st Test of the 2013 England v Australia Ashes series
Personal information
Full name	Sir Ian Terence Botham OBE
Born	(1955-11-24) 24 November 1955 (age 62) Heswall, Cheshire, England
Nickname	Beefy, Both, Guy
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm fast-medium
Role	All-rounder
International information
National side	England
Test debut (cap 474)	28 July 1977 v Australia
Last Test	18 June 1992 v Pakistan
ODI debut (cap 33)	26 August 1976 v West Indies
Last ODI	24 August 1992 v Pakistan
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1974–86	Somerset
1987–88	Queensland
1987–91	Worcestershire
1992–93	Durham
Career statistics
Competition Tests LOI FC LA Matches 102 116 402 470 Runs scored 5,200 2,113 19,399 10,474 Batting average 33.54 23.21 33.97 29.50 100s/50s 14/22 0/9 38/97 7/46 Top score 208 79 228 175* Balls bowled 21,815 6,271 63,547 22,899 Wickets 383 145 1,172 612 Bowling average 28.40 28.54 27.22 24.94 5 wickets in innings 27 0 59 3 10 wickets in match 4 n/a 8 n/a Best bowling 8/34 4/31 8/34 5/27 Catches/stumpings 120/– 36/– 354/– 196/–
Source: , 22 August 2007

Botham has at times been involved in controversy including a highly publicised court case involving rival all-rounder Imran Khan and an ongoing dispute with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). These incidents, allied to his on-field success, have attracted media attention, especially from the tabloid press. Botham has made effective use of the fame given to him by the publicity because he is actively concerned about leukaemia in children and has undertaken several long distance walks to raise money for research into the disease. These efforts have been highly successful and have realised millions of pounds for Bloodwise, of which he became president. In recognition of his services to charity, he was awarded a knighthood in the 2007 New Years Honours List. On 8 August 2009, he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

Botham has a wide range of sporting interests outside cricket. He was a talented footballer at school and had to choose between cricket and football as a career. He chose cricket but, even so, he did play professional football for a few seasons and made eleven appearances in the Football League for Scunthorpe United. He is a keen golfer and his other pastimes include angling and shooting.