First Appearance

His first cricket debut was in 1977, he was without a doubt the best all-around player in the nation; within three years, he became captain; within four years, he had quit (a minute before being fired), his form in shambles.

Geoffrey Boycott's return from his self-imposed Test exile somewhat overshadowed his debut. After the first Test ended in a tie, England went into the game leading the series 1-0. Botham’s bowling at Trent Bridge impresses everyone present there.

He won two prizes after a successful debut as a Test player. The Cricket Writers' Club named him Young Cricketer of the Year for 1977, and one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year.

Ascend to Glory

He served as a captain in a test match. However, in his defense, nine of his matches as captain were played against the West Indies, the finest team at the time, who went on to win 12 of the following 13 tests against England.

With 14 hundred and 383 wickets in Test cricket, he was a true all-rounder. He is still well recognized by the nicknames "Beefy" and "Guy the Gorilla."

Beefy approached sports with a British bulldog mentality. He was a potent fast-medium bowler who could swing the ball through the air and was able to quickly counter any attack. He possessed incredible force while driving and hooking the ball, and as he stood at slip, his expertly safe pair of hands completed his aura as the best all-arounder.

Low Point

However, as is more frequently the case with all-rounders, Botham battled with his fitness and form in the late 1980s. He ended his stellar career and retired from international cricket in the summer of 1992.

Captaincy

The talented all-experience rounder's leading England to a 12-match losing streak as their Test captain was less than stellar.

The majority of these games were played against the powerful Windies, as Botham's passionate admirers would undoubtedly point out, but it is clear to argue that captaincy did have an effect on his performances.

Ian's Record

Between 1986 and 1988, Botham held the world record for the most Test wickets before being surpassed by fellow all-rounder Sir Richard Hadlee.

In Test cricket, Botham scored 14 hundred, with the best score being 208. 27 times he took five wickets in an innings, and four times he took ten wickets in a game. He accomplished the "match double" in 1980, scoring 100 runs and taking 10 wickets in the same match, becoming just the second player in Test history to do so. He was named in England's greatest Test XI by the ECB for the country's 1000th Test in August 2018.

Retirement

Midway through the 1993 season, Botham announced his retirement from cricket. His final game was for Durham against the visiting Australians at The Racecourse from July 17–19, 1993.