Botham's the Benchmark but Freddie and Ben Have Breathed Fire and Desire Into the Game

Peter Hayter, The Cricket Paper’s esteemed correspondent, looks back over his years of reporting on England Test cricket around the world and identifies the greatest players over this period. This week, the all-rounders come to the fore...

Ian Botham (Tests - 102, Runs - 5200, 100s - 14, Highest Score - 208, Average - 33.55, Wickets - 383, 5 wkt. innings - 27, 10 wkt. matches – 4, Average – 28.40)

It is the morning of Friday February 15, 1980, in a room somewhere in the Taj Mahal Hotel, Bombay, and cricket writer Chris Lander is desperately trying to rouse himself after a massive night out with a couple of England cricketers.

The thumping in his head is not eased by the knowledge that he is late for the start of the first day of the Jubilee Test at the Wankhede but, with the forgiving time difference between India and London, he has a few hours before the sports desk to start chasing and he switches on the television to find out what’s happening at the ground.

The first thing he sees – though in view of how much grog was consumed the night before – he can barely believe: the sight of one of his drinking mates running in to bowl at Sunil Gavaskar, in oppressive heat, seemingly fresh as a daisy.

The next thing he notices is the smoke that is rising from the back of the telly.

Prising it open, he soon understands why. Pieces of tandoori chicken, carefully placed inside it, have ignited.

From somewhere behind him, Lander hears an appeal and he looks back at the screen to see the fire-starter celebrating the wicket of the Little Master – caught behind by Bob Taylor, the first of seven catches in the innings for the Derbyshire ‘keeper, and the first of 13 wickets Ian Botham is to take in the match (six for 58 in the first innings and seven for 48 in the second) in which, the only player to pass fifty, he also makes 114 as England win by 10 wickets on the fourth day.