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Greatest Bowler

Greatest Bolwer of All

  • Total voters
    84
  • Poll closed .
Viscount Tom

Viscount Tom

International Debutant
fredfertang said:
My old man always took the view that you had to look at Botham as a complete package, and that the bad times were the price you had to pay for the good ones, and that if Sir Beefy had practiced as assiduously as Geoff Boycott he'd have batted like Boycs and bowled like Mike Hendrick, and we'd never have seen Headingley '81 or any of the other great days. Now that was the sort of pragmatic thinking that characterised him, and he was probably right, but I'm a bit more of a romantic, and I've never been able to get the idea out of my head that with a modicum of effort he could have knuckled down in 1985 and gone on to become a very fine batsman indeed, but the one certainty is we'll never know
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Its worth pointing out that if Botham had kept a fitness regime like Boycott did he'd have probably lasted a bit longer too anyway.
 
the big bambino

the big bambino

International Captain
fredfertang said:
My old man always took the view that you had to look at Botham as a complete package, and that the bad times were the price you had to pay for the good ones, and that if Sir Beefy had practiced as assiduously as Geoff Boycott he'd have batted like Boycs and bowled like Mike Hendrick, and we'd never have seen Headingley '81 or any of the other great days. Now that was the sort of pragmatic thinking that characterised him, and he was probably right, but I'm a bit more of a romantic, and I've never been able to get the idea out of my head that with a modicum of effort he could have knuckled down in 1985 and gone on to become a very fine batsman indeed, but the one certainty is we'll never know
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I believe your old man has nailed it Fred. Personality and character is as big an influence on a man's performance as talent. A combination of his personal flaws and cricketing talent gave you exactly the direction his career took. He gave you Headingley its a bit much to dream about him becoming a great batsman too. :)
 
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