From: moghal@aludra.usc.edu (Nadeem Moghal)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.cricket
Subject: Re: The decade of the all rounder
Date: 14 Sep 1992 02:41:23 -0700
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: aludra.usc.edu

In article <12SEP199210114658@vxcrna.cern.ch> hafeez@vxcrna.cern.ch (Syed Mohammad Ali) writes:

>
>	YOU FORGET THAT IMRAN WAS INJURED AND UNABLE TO 
>	PLAY TEST CRICKET FOR 3 YEARS AT HIS PEAK OF 
>	BOWLING AND HE HAD STARTED EMERGING AS A CAPABLE
>	BAT EVERSINCE HE SCORED HIS FIRST TEST CENTURY
>	AGAINST THE WEST INDIES IN 1980, AND AS A RESPONSIBLE
>	ONE TOO AFTER BECOMING THE CAPITAN OF THE PAKISTANI
>	SIDE. (WHICH HE SHOWED IN THE 1983 WORLD CUP.)

In and around 1979-81, when he hit his first test hundred (123
against West Indies, Lahore, November 1980), Imran was regarded
as a good fast bowler who could bat well at times. This was, in
fact, the third time that he had crossed the half-century mark 
in test cricket. The earlier instances were:

        59 vs New Zealand    Karachi   1976-77
        56 vs Australia      Lahore    1979-80

But besides these three  knocks, he had plenty of scores in 
twenties and thirties, enough to enable him to complete his
1000 runs in what was probably his 32nd test. And it also
gave him his test double which was a definite milestone for 
a player to be considered an allrounder.

Imran's first real display of batsmanship came on the English
tour of 1982, when he batted very consistently, besides being
the anchor of the bowling attack. His scores were 65 & 22 at
Birmingham, 22 at Lord's and 65* & 46 at Leeds (approximation
exercised here!), and told the world of his almost hidden talent.


>	ABSOLUTELY CORRECT! THOUGH I STILL DON'T THINK OF
>	BOTHAM AS A GREAT ALLROUNDER EXCEPT FOR HIS LAST
>	SERIES AS THE CAPITAIN AGAINST AUSTRALIA WHEN AFTER
>	BEING RELIEVED OF THE CAPITANCY OF THE ENGLISH SIDE
>	HE SINGLE-HANDEDLY WON THE LOST SERIES FOR ENGLAND.
>	BUT DON'T FORGET IT WAS ONLY THE LAST TWO OR THREE
>	TESTS OF THE SERIES (WHICH CAN BE REGARDED AS A FLUKE
>	TOO). REST OF HIS ACHIEVEMENTS WERE MAINLY ACCOMPLISHED 
>	AGAINST MEDIOCRE SIDES WHO WERE WEAKENED BY THE START
>	OF THE PACKER SERIES.

My opinion of Botham could well be biased. I was in my teens,
and had found a new interest in the game, when his exploits
were at their peak. His performance in the Golden Jubillee
test against India (114 runs, six and seven wickets in the
two innings, unchanged bowling in the second innings) of
February 1980 was something out of this world. But then came
a vveerryy dry spell of ten matches without any fireworks,
and when England's performance as a team also hit a rock-
bottom. 

Came the summer of 1981, and came what I will always remember
as the best series of all times. Australia got the first
encounter at Nottingham by two wickets, while England managed
to save their skin at Lord's. Botham bagged a pair in this
game, and resigned from the captaincy. There were lots of
beauracratic shifflings, and in came Mike Brearley to take
over the reins. And what followed could only be experienced
at the time, words cannot do justice to the excitement I felt,
glued to my radio set, thousands of miles away.

Okay, okay. Enough of a distraction. Let me now say why I think
Botham was a genuine allrounder. In his first two tests, he had
innings analyses of 5-74 and 5-21, establishing him as a good
bowler. And these came against a strong Australian combination.
Then, against the kiwis, playing in only his fourth test, he 
scored a hundred and took 5wI. This followed by 53 & 5wI in the
next game. The New Zealand side was at its best at the time, 
which was, admittedly, not much a compared to the other cricketing
powers.

Then came a weakened pakistani side, sans the Packer "Quintet." 
It reeceived one of the worst drubbings ever in that '78 tour,
and most of it came from Botham. 108 at Birmingham. 100 & 8-34
at Lord's. 

Later, against the visiting New Zealand side, he got a couple 
of half centuries, plus a 10wM. 

Botham was a cricketer whose mere presence would raise everyone's
heart-beat; "something would happen now," they would go. Remember
the Melbourne test of 1982-83 (Ashes series)? when Australia
required four to win the game, with the last wicket intact, when
Bob Willis threw the ball to Botham. And he went on to claim the
wicket that noone else was able to get, giving his side one of the
closest victories of all times.

>SYED.

Nadeem Moghal
University of Southern California