Ian Botham

Bat well, bowl well and catch well - that's how simple the game was for Ian Botham

The greatest Test performances: among Nos. 41-50 are Jimmy, Bhajji, Biff and others

The top 10 Test performances from the last 50 years include scarcely believable turnarounds, a dustbin aid, and big whiskers

Deep Purple's lead singer Ian Gillan on what he loves about the game

Sobers excelled, Botham struggled in a slot that nobody wants for too long

Not a lot: a quality team with a nondescript captain would win more than a bad team with a good captain

Had India pulled off a remarkable victory at The Oval in 1979, Sunil Gavaskar's 221 would be up there as the greatest Test innings

Ian Botham had had a quiet match at Edgbaston in 1981, until he was summoned into the attack for one last burst at the Australians

The Ashes remains the contest that defines careers. This is the series that will be remembered - can be remembered - long after a player has finished

Ian Botham has warned that England will be "playing into Australia's hands" if flat pitches are prepared for the Investec Ashes

The boy from Burnley with magic in his wrist has surpassed all before him - with luck we will be able to enjoy his skill and application for a few more years yet

Ian Botham will soon be overtaken by James Anderson as England's leading Test leading wicket-taker. The two couldn't be more different from each other

When it comes to one-day openers at World Cups, England have always been one step behind

For close to three decades Ian Botham has strained every sinew to raise funds to battle leukaemia. But sometimes one can only go so far

Peter Willey talks about suiting up against '80s West Indies, why it's great to umpire in England, and talking to the press from his bath

The BCCI has criticised former England captain Ian Botham's comments on the Indian Premier League, saying the latter needed to get his facts right.

Ian Botham used the platform of his MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture to brand the IPL "too powerful" for the good of cricket and said he believed it should not exist

Also, best percentage of hundreds to innings, most frequent appearances on the Lord's honours board, most first-class fifties, and Sanga and Mahela's twin totals

Forty years since he announced his arrival on the cricket stage, Ian Botham remains a symbol of home-grown guts for glory that the current England team lacks