Watch: ‘Who writes your scripts?’ – Ian Botham strikes first ball on comeback after drugs suspension before clinching world record
Watch: On his comeback after a suspension, against New Zealand at The Oval in 1986, Ian Botham struck with his first ball, then went past Dennis Lillee’s world record tally of 355 Test wickets.
England entered into the summer of 1986 without Ian Botham, whom the board had suspended for 63 days after he had admitted to smoking cannabis.
India were the first of the two touring teams in that split summer. They won the three-match series two-nil – a margin they have never replicated on England soil.
England’s decision to sack David Gower mid-series and appoint Mike Gatting as captain did not help. The fans made their opinion known through ‘Bring Back Botham’ posters over the course of the Test series.
New Zealand came over next. After a draw at Lord’s, Richard Hadlee (6-80, 68, 4-60) helped script a famous eight-wicket win in his adopted home at Trent Bridge.
England’s home summer stood at three defeats, two draws, but there was one silver lining: the sixty-three days were over before the final Test, at The Oval.
Gatting won the toss and opted to bowl, and Bruce Edgar began in characteristic fashion, crawling to a solitary run in over half an hour’s batting against Graham Dilley and Gladstone Small. Then Botham came on, first change.
There was nothing spectacular about the first ball. Botham pitched it short of a length, and Edgar could have played it anywhere. But as it often happened with Botham, he played it to second slip, where Graham Gooch accepted the catch.
Even a man of Gooch’s experience was flabbergasted at Botham’s ability to rise to the occasion. “Who writes your scripts?” was all he could come up with.
But that was hardly Botham’s most memorable act of the day, for Edgar’s wicket had helped him draw level with Dennis Lillee’s world record of 355 Test wickets.
The next ball took the edge of Jeff Crowe’s bat, but ran past John Emburey at third slip, but Botham did not have to wait for long. He trapped Crowe leg-before with the last ball of his second over to go past Lillee.
Botham also got New Zealand captain Jeremy Coney to finish with 3-75 in a total of 287. He then blasted 59 in 36 balls – eight fours, two sixes – as England declared with a lead of 101, but rain prevented England from driving that advantage home to level the series.
