It's often been stated that things were rarely dull where
Ian Terrence Botham was concerned. After all, if you're an inspiration to David Brent, then naturally you will be an entertainer. The
winter of 1992 would see one final example of Beefy writing his own scripts.
Yet, as the England cricket team jetted off for their New Zealand tour in
January 1992, it would be a very different set of scripts that caused a stir
amongst the British press.
The Express’ James Lawton provided one example of the
outrage at the decision, that many in the press were labelling as putting King
before country. “I’ll settle for the grim conclusion that in terms of basic
morality, of what is plainly right or wrong, English cricket has just displayed
a chilling ignorance.”
Scratch below the surface, however, and the late arrival
of Botham was perhaps not as controversial as suggested. Seen as a crucial part
of England’s World Cup plans, it was never intended for Botham to be involved
in the Test team the New Zealand tour. Injuries did lead to him earning his
100th cap in Wellington, but essentially, Botham had been picked as a one-day
specialist.
Inevitably, Botham would cause ripples in his actions on
and off the field. Bludgeoning 79 from 73 balls in a one-day international in
Christchurch, Botham cemented his position as a pinch-hitting opener for the
World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. But tongue-in-cheek comments about
England’s old rivals stirred things up as the team arrived in Australia.
“What would be better than to beat the Aussies at
Melbourne in front of 100,000 convicts?” Botham enquired, with a mischievous
grin on his face. Understandably, this remark was seized upon. Writing in the
Telegraph, David Gower touched upon the mood of Australia at the time, as the
relationship between the two countries was being debated.
“Australians tend not to enjoy being called convicts and
such remarks probably add fuel to Australia’s current fad with Republicanism.” A
week before the Australia-England clash in the World Cup, Australian Prime
Minister Paul Keating made a speech in front of Queen Elizabeth regarding
Australian independence. The tension was building.
Of course, there was nothing more Botham liked than the
big stage. At the SCG on March 5, 1992, there was the chance of one last
hurrah, in front of nearly 40,000 spectators and the growing number of BSkyB
subscribers in the UK; during the first two weeks of the tournament, satellite
dish sales had gone up by 76%. Beefy did not disappoint.
Australia were vulnerable coming into the group match.
Defeats against New Zealand and South Africa was followed by a one-run victory
over India, meaning the England fixture took on even more meaning than usual.
Defeat at the hands of England would leave the 7/4 pre-tournament favourites
struggling to make the semi-finals.
Conversely, England were flying, with wins over India and
the West Indies, and after dismissing Pakistan for 74, frustration followed as
the match was rained off. Botham had not shone with the bat, but his bowling
was certainly on the money.
Figures of 2/27 earned Botham the man of the match award
against India, with returns of 1/30 (West Indies) and 2/12 (Pakistan) backing
up his strong start. Seemingly trundling in at military medium pace, Botham was
using all his skill and nous to fox opponents. With Australia, there was also
the bonus of his reputation to take into account.
As the hosts reached 145/4 in the 37th over, the innings
was in the balance. Enter Botham. Bowling Allan Border with a pearler of an inswinger, Botham was about to start a spell
that turned the course of the match in England’s favour.
W.W.W.W: Four wickets for no runs in seven balls.
Removing Border, Ian Healy, Peter Taylor, and Craig McDermott, Botham had once again shaped the match through his force of
personality. “As if anointed from above, he won the match in seven deliveries,”
wrote Mark Nicholas in the Telegraph. The less said about his celebration the
better.
Described as “the dainty, hip-wiggling dance routine” in
the Times, the 36-year-old Botham could be excused his dad dancing. But his
wild celebration after dismissing Taylor was the Beefy of old, an explosion of
ecstasy as England’s all-rounder, on his way to taking 4/31, had once again made the Aussies
dance to his tune.
Restricting Australia to 171, Botham then chose the
appropriate time to achieve his highest score of the tournament and first and last World Cup half-century.
His 53 from 77 balls included six fours, as a 107-run opening partnership with
Graham Gooch crushed any hope of an Australian comeback. No prizes for guessing
the man of the match in England’s eight-wicket win.
A few weeks before, Botham had been accused of being
late, overweight and unprofessional. Now, journalists were lauding his
transition from (Pantomime) villain to hero. Headlines such as “Wizard of Oz!”
and “THAT’LL TEACH THE XXXXs” emblazoned the front pages, as the tabloids
rejoiced in the “Empire striking back”.
Other journalists revelled in Botham’s brilliance. Vic
Marks in The Observer hailed “the sort of performance that marks him out as a
giant amongst sportsmen.” “Mix Botham, Australia and a full house and you have
gunpowder,” noted the Guardian’s Mike Selvey.
The Australian press were forced into a climbdown.
Described by one journalist as “a pot-bellied yobbo” after his “convicts”
comment, now King Botham was the man who had humbled and humiliated Australia.
Border reflected on a damaging defeat. “The mood is desperate. Botham is the ultimate competitor.
He saves his best for us.”
Botham explained the secret of his success. “I haven't
done anything differently – I am still drinking as much. It was just one of
those days when everything went my way. When you get to my physical condition,
you have to save it up for special occasions.” With a glint in his eye, Botham
added: “I hope the Queen was watching.”
It would be Botham’s last telling contribution in an
England shirt, his Sydney swansong a delicious one for old times’ sake. A
performance “as much spiritual domination as a piece of technical virtuosity”
as Tony Lewis described it in the Telegraph. A final chance to get one over on
an old rival.
Alec Stewart recalls the match in Playing for Keeps. “It was amazing to see how frightened the Aussies were of him.
He could have walked out to bat with a stump and would have still scored runs
against them that night. His bowling was not too frightening, but they played
the reputation and they were ridiculously tentative against him, as if he was
still the miracle worker of 1981.”
“For the first time I was seeing at first hand the effect
that Beefy could produce, and I could appreciate what a force he must have been
in his prime.” It says a lot about Botham and his aura that he managed to add
Sydney 1992 to his list of achievements in the sport before the curtain fell on
his career.
Unsurprisingly Botham did not touch the same heights again in the tournament, an innings of 43 against Sri Lanka and 3/23 in the shock defeat to Zimbabwe his only telling contributions. His last appearance in the World Cup would end in disappointing fashion, dismissed for a duck against Pakistan as England lost the final.
But at least he was able to revel in his triumph over England's greatest rival, a result that went a long way to eliminating the joint hosts in the group stage. As the years progressed, Australia's star shined, England's fortunes declined, and moments like Sydney 1992 seemed a distant memory for English cricket fans.
There really was only one Ian Botham. An irresistible force who would prove irreplaceable as every year passed after his retirement in 1993. Even when he was past his best, he managed to shape Anglo-Australian clashes by his personality alone. Sydney 1992 proved he could be King for one last day.
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