It did not take long for Wisden to spot Geoffrey Boycott’s potential. After his first summer as an England player, he was named a Cricketer of the Year in 1965.
Prescient words. Geoffrey Boycott went on to be one of the most successful – and controversial – batsmen of all time. In all first-class matches he scored 48,426 runs at 56.83 with 151 centuries.
In 1963, his first season of county cricket, Geoffrey Boycott, Yorkshire opening batsman, scored 1,778 runs at an average of 41.34 an innings and was elected the Best Young Cricketer of the Year.
Less than 12 months after becoming a professional cricketer he was chosen to open for England against Australia. He finished second in the England averages with 291 runs at 48.50 an innings, scored his first Test century in the Fifth Test at the Oval; for his second season’s work he could point to 2,110 runs at an average of 52.75 an innings.
These were figures which placed him fifth in the all-England averages. He was selected to tour South Africa with MJK Smith’s team, not as an encouragement but because he had established himself as the rightful No.1 batsman.
His success was not that of a naturally gifted batsman with the good fortune to play on wickets suited to his style of play. At a very early stage in his career he showed the ability to fashion an innings to suit the occasion and the state of the game.
The only thing the critics needed to know was whether he could battle through a bad spell of low scores; the phase that comes to every batsman when fieldsmen seem to catch the impossible, a direct throw at the stumps catches him six inches out of his ground, and a slight error in timing of the strokes undermines confidence.
As an opening batsman, he has one telling shot that he plays better than anyone else in the game. He can hit the just short-of-length ball, coming close to his body, as well as most batsmen can play a square cut to a ball wide of the off-stump. He moves into a defensive position right behind the ball; then, with the stroke, pulls his body away from the ball to take runs anywhere in the arc from cover point to third man. Most opening bowlers are accustomed to seeing this delivery played with a dead bat.
Although he seldom hooks, Boycott has most of the shots. He shows no limitation because he wears spectacles. His limitations are self-imposed and, at the start of an innings, these are designed to give the least encouragement to the opposing bowler.
Temperament and ability stamp him as a fine player. Experience and careful application may make him a very successful one for Yorkshire and England.
