Dennis Keith Lillee, AM, MBE (born 18 July 1949 in Subiaco, Western Australia) is a former Australian cricketer rated as the "outstanding fast bowler of his generation".^[1] Lillee was known for his fiery temperament, 'never-say-die' attitude and popularity with the fans.

In the early part of his career Lillee was an extremely quick bowler, but a number of stress fractures in his back almost ended his career. Taking on a strict fitness regime, he fought his way back to full fitness, eventually returning to international cricket. By the time of his retirement from international cricket in 1984 he had become the then world record holder for most Test wickets (355),^[2] and had firmly established himself as one of the most recognisable and renowned Australian sportsmen of all time.

On 17 December 2009, Lillee was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.^[3] Dennis Lillee has done great service to the art of Fast bowling by contributing immensely at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai, India.

Test career[link]

Aged 20, Lillee made his first-class debut for Western Australia in 1969-70 and impressed with his raw pace. At the end of the season, he toured New Zealand with an Australian second team and took 18 wickets at 16.44 average.^[4]

Debut[link]

The following season, he made his Test debut in the Sixth Test at Adelaide in the 1970-71 Ashes series, taking 5/84 from 28.3 eight-ball overs.^[5] His first Test wicket was John Edrich, caught by Keith Stackpole for 130, but it was not until the Seventh Test at Sydney that John Hampshire became the first batsman to be "caught Marsh, bowled Lillee". In 1971–72 against a World XI at Perth, he destroyed a powerful batting lineup that included Garry Sobers, Clive Lloyd, Rohan Kanhai and Sunil Gavaskar by taking 8/29. Lillee followed this performance with a successful Ashes tour of England in 1972, when he "asserted himself as a great bowler".^[6] In a series that ended 2–2, he was the outstanding bowler on either team, taking 31 wickets at an average of 17.67. This earned him selection as one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year for 1973.^[7]

Back injury[link]

During a Test against Pakistan in the 1972–73 season, Lillee felt sharp pain in his back for the first time, but continued to play. On the tour of the West Indies that followed, Lillee broke down completely and was diagnosed with stress fracture in his lower vertebrae. Forced out of cricket, he spent six weeks during the winter of 1973 wearing a plaster cast that encased his entire torso.^[2] After the removal of the cast, he played club cricket in Perth as a specialist batsman.

There was speculation that his bowling career was nearly over. Lillee persevered, undergoing an intensive physiotherapy routine, formulated by sports scientist Frank Pyke,^[8] and remodelling his bowling action.^[2] In 1974–75, he returned to Test cricket for the Ashes series and was paired with New South Wales fast bowler Jeff Thomson to form one of the most effective opening bowling combinations in Test cricket. The pair was a major factor in Australia's emphatic 4–1 victory.^[9] In 1975, the University of Western Australia timed Lillee's bowling at 154.8 km/h.

Lillee and Thomson[link]

Lillee toured England again in 1975. During the inaugural World Cup he captured eight wickets in five matches, including 5/34 against Pakistan at Leeds. His aggressive bowling was not always suited to the run-containing style required in the one-day game. In the subsequent four-Test series against England, Lillee claimed 21 wickets as his team finished winners by 1–0. With the bat, he made 73 not out at Lord's to rescue Australia from a difficult situation.

Another 27 wickets (at 26.37 average) followed in the summer of 1975–76 against the West Indies. At this time, Lillee was one of the most marketable personalities in Australia, but he was frustrated by the small amounts that he earned from the game. Outspoken in his opinions, he came into conflict with the game's administrators. Lillee suggested that a made-for-television exhibition series could be played each season with profits given to the players. John Cornell, his manager, took this idea to Kerry Packer, who later fashioned it into World Series Cricket (WSC).

An injury to Thomson early in 1976–77 forced Lillee to take on a greater workload during the six Tests of the season. He responded with 47 wickets including match figures of 10/135 against Pakistan at the MCG and 11/123 at Auckland against New Zealand. In the Centenary Test, his 11/165 was the decisive performance in Australia's victory. However, the extra exertion created "hot spots" in his back and not wanting to reaggravate his previous condition, he made himself unavailable for the 1977 tour of England.

World Series Cricket[link]

Remaining in Australia to do television commentary on the tour, Lillee was isolated from the furore in England surrounding the plans for the breakaway professional competition, WSC. He was announced as one of the WSC players in May 1977. The Lillee image and personality were key components in WSC's innovative marketing of their games. However, he struggled on-field during the first season of WSC and in the winter of 1978 made further adjustments to his action. He also spent time working with ex-World professional sprint champion Austin Robertson, improving his running technique and fitness. In nine "Supertests" (four in Australia and five in the West Indies) during 1978–79, Lillee captured 46 wickets at 22.5 average, with a best of 7/23 against the West Indies XI at the SCG.

Cutting down his pace and the length of his run up, Lillee now concentrated on moving the ball off the seam with an occasional faster or slower ball for variation. During the season of his return to official cricket, Lillee collected 35 Test wickets in six matches against the West Indies and England, and gave Australia's bowling attack stability while the selectors experimented with the team. In the World Series Cup, his changed style helped to bring him 20 wickets (at 12.7 average) in eight ODIs, including 4/12 against West Indies and 4/28 against England, both at the SCG. However, the tour of Pakistan that followed was ruined for Lillee by flat batting pitches prepared by local curators to blunt his effectiveness. He managed just three wickets in three Tests.

Australian and world records[link]

Statue of Lillee at the Melbourne Cricket Ground

Against New Zealand and India in 1980–81, Lillee took 37 wickets in six Tests and was the leading bowler in the World Series Cup for the second successive season. He contributed 25 wickets to Australia's first victory in the competition. After breaking Richie Benaud's Australian Test record of 248 wickets, Lillee toured England in 1981 when his preparation was compromised by a viral infection. A return of 39 Test wickets (at 22.30) for series was the best of his career^[1] and he won man of the match awards in the first and last Tests. Lillee formed a penetrative partnership with fellow West Australian Terry Alderman, who claimed an Australian record of 41 wickets.^[10] Despite possessing this potent attack, Australia lost the series by 1–3 when Ian Botham turned in a series of brilliant individual performances.^[11]

Granted a testimonial for 1981–82, Lillee's season got off to a poor start when he was involved in the infamous incident with Javed Miandad (see below) in the first Test of the summer. Suspended for two ODIs, the level of his on-field aggression was again criticised. However, he continued taking wickets: 15 in three Tests against Pakistan and 16 in three Tests against the West Indies. Against the latter, his 7/83 and 3/44 at the MCG in the first Test took him past the world record for the most Test wickets held by Lance Gibbs.^[12] His ODI season was less successful, with 12 wickets in 12 games. His best effort was 2/18 in ten overs against the West Indies during the third final of the World Series Cup, the only match in the final series Australia was able to win.^[13]

Retirement[link]

Bowling as a first-change, Lillee had an uneventful tour of New Zealand in March and April 1982 before suffering a serious knee injury in the first Ashes Test at the WACA Ground in November of the same year. This forced him to miss the rest of the series and Australia's 2–1 victory, which reclaimed the Ashes. Returning to the team for the latter stages of the World Series Cup, Lillee was no longer an automatic choice to take the new ball. Nevertheless, his 11 wickets in six ODIs helped Australia win the tournament with a victory over New Zealand in the final.

His wicket-taking capacity was diminishing. During Australia's brief tour of Sri Lanka in 1983, Lillee took three wickets at Kandy in the inaugural Test between the two nations and went wicket-less in two ODIs. Later in the year, his ODI career finished during the third World Cup in England when he conceded 52 runs from 12 overs in the match against the West Indies at Lord's. Dropped from the team, Lillee acknowledged that he was not fully fit, but he remained motivated to continue in Test cricket by the number of people who had written him off.

During the first two Tests of 1983–84 against Pakistan at Perth, he took only one wicket and looked set to be dropped from the Test team as well. Fate intervened when Carl Rackemann, the man of the match from the second Test, was injured. This allowed Lillee to play the rest of the Test series and he finished with 20 wickets at 31.65. Along with Greg Chappell he announced his retirement during the final Test at Sydney, and took eight wickets, including a wicket with his last delivery in the match.^[14]

Caught Marsh bowled Lillee[link]

The Lillee-Marsh stand at the WACA Ground

Throughout his Australian career Lillee was also famous for his partnership with wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, and the scorecard entry 'c Marsh b Lillee' appeared 95 times in Tests, a partnership record between wicketkeeper and bowler that is yet to be broken. Coincidentally, both players ended their careers with 355 Test dismisals; Marsh took 343 catches and had 12 stumpings. They also shared much success at first-class level, playing for West Australia.

Statistics correct at 4 August 2009. Source:[1].

Controversy[link]

Aluminium bat incident[link]

During a Test at the WACA Ground in December 1979 between Australia and England, Lillee went to the crease with an aluminium bat manufactured by a company owned by a personal friend. There were no rules against using such a bat, but trouble began when Lillee hit a ball that went for three runs. Australian captain Greg Chappell thought that the ball should have gone for a four, and instructed Rodney Hogg to deliver a conventional wooden bat to Lillee. As this was happening, English captain Mike Brearley complained to the umpires that the bat was damaging the ball.

Lillee refused to change the bat. Brearley, Lillee, and the umpires held an animated discussion for almost ten minutes, before Chappell insisted that Lillee should change bats. In a fit of pique, Lillee threw "the offending lump of metal fully 40 yards towards the pavilion",^[15] and grudgingly took the wooden bat. He was not disciplined by the ACB for this incident. After the game, sales of the bat skyrocketed for a few months, before the laws of the game were amended, specifying that bats had to be made from wood.

Betting[link]

At Headingley on the 1981 tour of England, Australia was in such a strong position at one stage of the third Test that bookmakers at the ground were offering odds of 500–1 on an England victory. These odds were flashed on the scoreboard during a break in the game and noticed by the Australian players. Lillee and Rod Marsh believed that the odds were so ludicrous that, via a third party, they each put a small wager on the outcome, later describing their actions as a "joke". Between them, they collected 7,500 pounds when England pulled off a comeback victory.^[16] Both men openly discussed the incident and received no official censure or sanction, although some criticised their actions.^[17] There has never been a suggestion that the bets compromised their efforts in the game. However, the issue has been re-examined in modern times following the match-fixing scandals that have plagued international cricket since the mid-1990s.^[18]

Lillee vs Miandad[link]

Described by Wisden as "one of the most undignified incidents in Test history",^[19] the clash between Lillee and Pakistani batsman Javed Miandad occurred during the first Test at Perth in 1981.

Miandad turned Lillee behind square for a single, and in completing an easy run, he collided with the bowler. Eyewitnesses agreed that Lillee was to blame and most observed that he had deliberately moved into the batsman's path. The two players' versions of events differ ... As Lillee turned to go back to his mark he maintained that Miandad struck him from behind with his bat; Miandad countered with the claim that Lillee had kicked him as he passed. What isn't in doubt is that Lillee then turned to confront Miandad, and Miandad lifted his bat above his head as if to strike him. The unedifying images of Tony Crafter, the umpire, stepping in to hold back Lillee while Miandad wielded his bat like a deranged javelin thrower were beamed around the world. ... The media were in no doubt where the blame lay–with Lillee. Bob Simpson, the former Australian captain, wrote that it was "the most disgraceful thing I have seen on a cricket field". Keith Miller, in the Sydney Sunday Telegraph, added that Lillee "should be suspended for the rest of the season," and Ian Chappell added that Lillee's actions were those of "a spoiled, angry child". But Greg Chappell, Australia's captain, supported Lillee and ... even suggested that it has all been part of a plot by Pakistan to entrap Lillee. The Australian players–who sat in judgment on such matters in those days–announced that Lillee would be fined A$200, a decision which attracted almost as much anger as the incident itself. The two umpires complained at the leniency of the punishment, and the Australian Board acted swiftly, reducing the fine to A$120 but adding a two-match ban. Cynics noted that the punishment ensured that Lillee missed two fairly low-key one-day internationals, and none of the Tests.^[20]

After retirement[link]

Lillee made a brief comeback to first-class cricket in 1987–88 for Tasmania, taking a wicket with his first ball.^[21] In 1988, he played eight matches for English county team Northants and suffered a severe ankle injury.^[22] In his recent autobiography, Lillee claimed that he played again as a preparation for a possible comeback to the Australian team that was suggested by the then captain Allan Border.^[23]

During the 1990s and in the early years of the 21st century Lillee has dedicated himself to mentoring and coaching young bowlers, most notably Brett Lee and Shaun Tait. Lillee continued playing competitive cricket until 1999 for the traditional ACB President's XI match against touring sides at Lilac Hill. In his final match he took three wickets and played alongside his son Adam.

He has also appeared in many TV commercials for items as diverse as carpets, work boots, glucosamine tablets to relieve osteoarthritis symptoms and solar power companies.

Since 2004 he has been the president of the Western Australian Cricket Association.^[24]

Honours, awards, records and accolades[link]

• He was one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1973.
• He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1981.^[25]
• He was one of the ten inaugural inductees into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 1996.
• He was selected in the official Australian Test Team of the Century.
• He was awarded the Australian Sports Medal in 2000.^[26]
• He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours of 2010.^[27]
• He was immortalized in the Men at Work song "No Restrictions" (Cargo, 1983) with the line: "Hear the cricket calling, switch on the TV, sit and stare for hours, and cheer Dennis Lillee".
• He was also mentioned in the Iain Campbell Smith song "Blue Guitar". In a lyric where the narrator is describing unlikely, fantastic events he sings "I hit a six off Dennis Lillee and I clean bowled Gavaskar". When performing in the United States, Smith will often change the lyric to "I scored thirty-seven points off of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar."

Footnotes[link]

References[link]

• Brayshaw, Ian (1983). Caught Marsh, Bowled Lillee. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ISBN 0-642-97447-0. 

External links[link]

• Player profile: Dennis Lillee from ESPNcricinfo
• Player profile: Dennis Lillee from CricketArchive
• HowSTAT! statistical profile of Dennis Lillee
• Infamous Cricket Incidents - Dennis Lillee vs Javed Miandad
• Dennis Lillee interviewed on Enough Rope (transcript), 28 April 2003
• Lillee and Thomson interviewed (video), 2007

Cricket portal

v t e Australia squad – 1975 Cricket World Cup Runners-Up 1 IM Chappell (c) 2 GS Chappell 3 Edwards 4 Gilmour 5 Lillee 6 McCosker 7 Mallett 8 Marsh (wk) 9 Thomson 10 Turner 11 Walker 12 Walters

v t e Australia squad – World Series Cricket 1 Chappell, I (c) 2 Bright 3 Chappell, G 4 Chappell, T 5 Davis 6 Edwards 7 Gilmour 8 Hookes 9 Kent 10 Laird 11 Langer 12 Lillee 13 McCosker 14 Malone 15 Marsh (wk) 16 Pascoe 17 Prior 18 Redpath 19 Robinson (wk) 20 Thomson 21 Walker 22 Walters 23 Wessels

v t e Australia squad – 1983 Cricket World Cup 1 Hughes (c) 2 Border 3 Chappell 4 Hogan 5 Hogg 6 Hookes 7 Lawson 8 Lillee 9 MacLeay 10 Marsh (wk) 11 Thomson 12 Wessels 13 Wood 14 Yallop

v t e Australia squad – Australian Cricket Board Team of the Century 1 Bill Ponsford 2 Arthur Morris 3 Don Bradman (c) 4 Greg Chappell 5 Neil Harvey 6 Keith Miller (vc) 7 Ian Healy (wk) 8 Ray Lindwall 9 Shane Warne 10 Dennis Lillee 11 Bill O'Reilly 12 Allan Border (12th)

Geoffrey Boycott

Personal information
Full name	Geoffrey Boycott
Born	(1940-10-21) 21 October 1940 (age 71) Fitzwilliam, Yorkshire, England
Nickname	Boycs, Geoff, Fiery, GLY (Greatest Living Yorkshireman), Sir Geoffrey,[1] Thatch.[2]
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Batting style	Right-handed batsman
Bowling style	Right-arm medium
Role	Opening batsman
International information
National side	England
Test debut (cap 422)	4 June 1964 v Australia
Last Test	1 January 1982 v India
ODI debut (cap 1)	5 January 1971 v Australia
Last ODI	20 December 1981 v India
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1962–86	Yorkshire
1971–72	Northern Transvaal
Career statistics
Competition	Test	ODI	FC	LA
Matches	108	36	609	313
Runs scored	8114	1082	48426	10095
Batting average	47.72	36.06	56.83	39.12
100s/50s	22/42	1/9	151/238	8/74
Top score	246*	105	261*	146
Balls bowled	944	168	3685	1975
Wickets	7	5	45	30
Bowling average	54.57	21.00	32.42	40.26
5 wickets in innings	0	0	0	0
10 wickets in match	0	–	0	–
Best bowling	3/47	2/14	4/14	3/15
Catches/stumpings	33/–	5/–	264/–	99/–
Source: CricketArchive, 7 December 2008

Geoffrey Boycott OBE (born 21 October 1940) is a former Yorkshire and England cricketer. In a prolific and sometimes controversial playing career from 1962 to 1986, Boycott established himself as one of England's most successful opening batsmen.^[3] Since retiring as a player, Boycott has found further success as a cricket commentator.

Boycott made his international debut in a 1964 Test match against Australia.^[4][5] He was noted for his ability to occupy the crease and became a key feature of England's Test batting line up for many years, although he was less successful in his limited One Day International (ODI) appearances.^[6] He accumulated large scores – he is the fourth highest accumulator of first-class centuries in history, and the first English player to average over 100 in a season (1971 and 1979) – but often encountered friction with his team mates.^[4][7][8] Journalist Ian Wooldridge commented that "Boycott, in short, walks alone",^[9] while cricket writer John Arlott wrote that Boycott had a "lonely" career.^[10] Others, however, have stated that the extent of his introverted nature has been exaggerated, and that while he was "obsessed with success" he was not a selfish player.^[11]

After 108 Test match appearances for England, Boycott ended his international career in 1982 as the leading Test run scorer with over 8,000 Test match runs,^[12] earning an OBE for services to cricket.^[4][13] He was dropped from the Yorkshire team in 1986 as the leading run scorer in first-class cricket. While still a young player, he had been named as one of five Cricketers of the Year by Wisden, the Cricket Almanack, in 1965. He was inducted into the International Cricket Council's Hall of Fame in 2009.^[14]

After his playing career ended, Boycott became an often outspoken and controversial cricket commentator on both radio and television. In 1998, it was alleged that Boycott assaulted his former girlfriend Margaret Moore; he was given a suspended sentence and fined. In 2002, after being diagnosed with throat cancer, he underwent successful radiation treatment, and went into remission. He revived his commentating career in 2003, and continues to attract both criticism and praise. He is currently a member of BBC Radio 4's Test Match Special commentary team.^[3][13][15]

Early life[link]

Boycott was born in the mining village of Fitzwilliam, near Wakefield and Pontefract in Yorkshire.^[16] He was the eldest of three sons of Jane (née Speight) and Thomas Wilfred Boycott, a colliery worker from Shropshire.^[3] When Boycott was eight years old, he was impaled through his chest by the handle of an mangle after falling off an iron railing near his home. Boycott nearly died, and in the efforts to save his life, his spleen was removed.^[17] In March 1950,^[18] Boycott's father had a serious accident while working as a coalminer. His spine was severely damaged after he was hit by empty coal carts;^[19] Thomas Boycott never fully recovered, and died in 1967.^[20]

Boycott attended Fitzwilliam Primary School.^[18] There he won a Len Hutton batting award for scoring 45 runs and capturing six wickets for 10 runs in a school match.^[16] At age 10, he joined Ackworth Cricket Club, demonstrating "outstanding ability."^[8] At the age of 11 he failed the examinations that would have taken him to grammar school, and instead went to the local Kinsley Secondary Modern School.^[19] A year later, however, he passed his late-entry exams, and transferred to Hemsworth Grammar School. His cricket prowess was such that he captained the school's Cricket First XI at the age of 15. During winters he attended an indoor cricket school, where he was coached by former county professional Johnny Lawrence.^[16] While studying for his O-levels he began to have difficulties reading the blackboard and was initially devastated when told he would need glasses. At first, he played poorly at school, encumbered by the fragile spectacles, before a more robust pair was fashioned for him at the behest of his uncle, similar to those glasses worn by cricketer Roy Marshall. His uncle would go on to be a strong influence on Boycott's early game.^[21] In 1958 Boycott left school with seven O-level passes and the school's Individual Cricket Cup.^[22] That summer he played for the Leeds United under-18 football team alongside Billy Bremner and attracted the attention of Leeds United scouts. During the winter he continued to play nets of uncle Lawrence.^[23]

Boycott told the BBC in 1965 that he chose to leave school at 17 because he no longer wished to be a financial strain on his parents, and because he wanted to pursue his cricketing career.^[23] He worked as a clerk in the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance in Barnsley from 1958 to 1963, at the same time playing for a number of cricket clubs. Boycott captained the South Elmsall district team, and achieved a batting average of 70.^[24] He also played for the Yorkshire Federation's Under-18 team, and for Barnsley, where he was noticed by Clifford Hesketh, a member of Yorkshire's County Cricket team committee.^[24][25]

County career[link]

Boycott began playing for his home county in 1962 after topping the averages for Leeds, Yorkshire Colts and Yorkshire Second XI.^[8][26] In 414 matches for Yorkshire he scored 32,570 runs at an average of 57.85, with a highest score of 260 not out against Essex, and 103  centuries in all. He scored another 8,699 runs in List A cricket, averaging 40.08. Boycott twice averaged over 100 in an English first-class season: 100.12 in 1971, and 102.53 in 1979. He is one of only two players to have achieved this twice,^[27] Mark Ramprakash being the other. Boycott was appointed captain of Yorkshire in 1971, but was sacked in 1978 after failing to win a trophy while in charge.^[28] He was then dismissed as a player, but reinstated after a members' revolt. During his career Boycott frequently clashed with other strong personalities at the club, including Fred Trueman, Brian Close and Ray Illingworth, but remained popular with the Yorkshire crowds.^[5]

First years[link]

Trent Bridge hosted Australia in Boycott's first Test match.

Before he played in first-class cricket, Boycott played for the successful Barnsley Cricket Club, making his debut in 1959 and becoming a regular team member in 1959 alongside Dickie Bird, Bill Foord and Michael Parkinson. In one match, Boycott faced a delivery from Foord which he dispatched to the boundary for four.^[29] Foord turned to Parkinson and asked: "Christ almighty, what's this lad's name?" Bird remembered his "application, concentration and absolute belief in himself. He had one great gift, mental strength. You can have all the coaching in the world but the most important thing is to be mentally strong."^[30] Though Bird later left Boycott out of his choice XI, he would write: "of all the great players I have seen, if I had to pick a batsman to bat for my life, I would go for Geoffrey."^[31] He made his Yorkshire Second XI debut on 6 July 1959 against Cumberland at Penrith, scoring five and 15.^[32]

Boycott made his Yorkshire first team debut on 16 June 1962 against the Pakistan touring team.^[8] He opened the batting, scoring four in both innings – the first from a boundary off of his first ball in first class cricket – and taking one catch, but he did not bowl.^[33][34] He then went on to play his first County Championship match the next day, on 20 June, against Northamptonshire. Batting at number four, he scored six and 21*.^[35]

Early in his career, Boycott continued to play in his spectacles,^[36] and later switched to contact lenses. He feared his career would have ended had he not used such aids as his eyesight was poor.^[37] Boycott's initial appearances for Yorkshire failed to impress, and he was compared unfavourably to his main rival, John Hampshire. When Brian Close took over from Vic Wilson as captain of Yorkshire in 1963 he persuaded the committee to keep Boycott on, and was rewarded when, on 2 June 1963,^[38] Boycott scored 145 against Lancashire.^[39] His century was also part of a 249-run fourth wicket partnership which became a Yorkshire record.^[40] Boycott cemented his place in the Yorkshire XI in the 1963 season with successive scores of 76, 53, 49 not out and 50, and on 29 August made a century partnership in both innings of a match against Leicestershire with Ken Taylor.^[41] Boycott handed in his notice to the Ministry of Pensions that same year.^[42] After a brief loss of form he kept his place with scores of 62, 28 and 113 in the following matches.^[43] This second century again came against Lancashire, making Boycott the first Yorkshire cricketer to score his first two centuries in a Roses match, as the hotly contested Yorkshire versus Lancashire matches were termed.^[44] Boycott went on to hit his highest score thus far, 165 not out, against Leicestershire, and ended his first full season with 1,446 runs at an average of 46.64, placing him second in the 1963 national batting averages.^[45] He was awarded his county cap on 2 October.^[46] At the start of the 1964 season Boycott hit 151 against Middlesex, followed by another hundred against Lancashire in May, and then played for the MCC against the Australian touring side at Lord's, where he scored 63.^[47] On 16 May he completed a third consecutive century,^[48] and on 31 May he was called up for the First Test against Australia at Trent Bridge.^[8] By the end of the 1964 season, Boycott had topped the country's domestic averages with 59.45.^[49]

Although he later became renowned for his ability to occupy the crease for hours of defensive play, he was capable of playing attacking cricket.^[5] His highest one day score, a match-winning 146, came in the 1965 Gillette Cup final against Surrey.^[50] In his previous Gillette Cup match, the quarter-final against Somerset, Boycott took 32 overs to accumulate 23 runs.^[51] According to captain, Close, at Lord's after Yorkshire had slowly reached 22/1, he Close promoted himself to number three in the batting order so that he could urge Boycott into action. "I joined Geoffrey in the middle and said to him: "Listen, if I call, you bloody well run." Boycott later claimed this plan had been agreed on a fortnight previously, and denied such an incident ever occurring.^[36] Boycott subsequently hit 15  fours and three sixes,^[36] even though the modern-day fielding restrictions, which facilitate rapid scoring, did not exist in 1965. One shot, a lofted straight drive off England paceman Geoff Arnold was nearly caught by Boycott's team mates on the players' balcony in the pavilion. Close and Boycott added 192 runs for the second wicket, as Yorkshire posted a then record total of 317.^[36] Cricket writer John Woodcock wrote in The Times that "his magnificent innings contained every stroke in the book. "^[36] In the 1966 season Boycott scored two centuries in one match for the first time, against Nottinghamshire on 18 July.^[52] Against Leicestershire on 15 June 1968 he carried his bat through an entire Yorkshire innings of 297 all out, remaining unbeaten on 114*. It was the first time he had been unbeaten at the end of an innings. He ended the season top of the national averages for the first time.^[53] On 27 July 1970 he scored 260*, his highest first-class score in England, against Essex.^[54] At the end of the season, Close was sacked by the club committee in what Boycott called in 1987 "one of the cruellest incidents in the history of sport." Boycott, on tour in Australia, was awarded the captaincy.^[55]

Captaincy[link]

Boycott captained Yorkshire for eight seasons from 1971 to 1978, having been appointed following the sacking of Brian Close in 1970. Despite well publicised conflict between the two players, Boycott recorded in 1987 that he regretted Close's removal from the club, and wrote him a letter in admiration for his contributions to Yorkshire.^[57] To captain Yorkshire had been one of Boycott's aims since he started county cricket in 1962.^[58] Yorkshire's scorer Ted Lester commented later that Boycott "never got the support he deserved from the committee. After the captaincy was decided on a casting vote, the half that didn't want him never wanted him."^[59] Some members of the committee wanted to remove him almost immediately.^[56] He also caused strife between his fellow players, including a reciprocated dislike for Richard Hutton,^[60] with many players leaving the club citing personal differences with Boycott as the reason for their departure.^[61] After his first season as captain he spent the winter of 1971 playing in South Africa for Northern Transvaal.^[2] He played only one match, however, scoring 107 and 41.^[62]

Boycott's eight seasons of captaincy were among Yorkshire's least successful. The club failed to win any competitions and ranked low in the Championship table, in contrast to their one-time dominance of English cricket.^[59] The beginning of the end of his captaincy came after BBC Radio Leeds interviews in which two Yorkshire committee members and former players, Don Brennan and Mel Ryan, said that a change in leadership was needed.^[63] Boycott himself did not suffer a loss of form to mirror that of his county; in his first year as captain, he scored 2,503 runs at an average of 100.12, included a century in his first match as captain.^[64] His success was cited by Trueman as evidence that his selfish nature was harming Yorkshire.^[65] Boycott headed the national batting averages in 1972 with 72.35, and was second in 1973 with 63.62. In 1973, however, Yorkshire failed to win a single championship game, which Wisden called "disturbingly unsuccessful" and which led to further calls for Boycott to be stripped of the captaincy. He was also coming into increased conflict with Richard Hutton, Close, and several members of the committee and senior players.^[66][67] "Looking back," Boycott wrote in 1987 "I wish I had given up the Yorkshire captaincy at the end of that year."^[68]

In 1974 Boycott's form dipped, when he scored only 75 runs in the first innings of the season, other than a non-championship century against Cambridge University. He did, however, score 152* against Worcestershire on 15 May to complete his tour of centuries against every first-class county.^[69] Both he and Yorkshire suffered through 1975 and 1976, as did his international career, since he refused to play for England from 1974 until 1977.^[70] During the summer of 1978 Boycott broke a finger, so John Hampshire temporarily took over as captain. Boycott returned later in the season, scoring 968 runs at 50.94, but this was second to Hampshire's 1,463 at 54.18. A poll of the dressing room showed that 95% of the players wanted a permanent change in the captaincy.^[71] On 15 September 1978 Boycott's mother, to whom he was very close, died of cancer, placing further pressure on him. On 29 September, the Yorkshire club committee met with Boycott to discuss terminating his captaincy. A statement by the club outlined Yorkshire's intention to retain Boycott as a player while giving the captaincy to Hampshire.^[72] Boycott, in response, attacked the Yorkshire club and its decision in an appearance on the BBC's flagship chatshow Parkinson on 7 October, prompting both strong criticism from the club and strong public support for his own position.^[56][73]

Later years[link]

Boycott, after much thought, continued as a player at Yorkshire, scoring 1,941 runs at 61.70 in 1979, hitting six hundreds to pass Len Hutton's record of 129 first-class centuries.^[74] In 1980 he scored his ninth Roses century, equalling Herbert Sutcliffe's record.^[75] He also finished the season with an average of over 50.00 for a record eleventh consecutive year, surpassing the achievement of Jack Hobbs.^[76] He would experience growing friction with Hutton's son, Yorkshire's Richard, as well as with later Yorkshire captain John Hampshire. In the early 1980s Boycott continued his run of form, although a slow 347-ball knock of 140* incensed captain, Ray Illingworth, and created friction between Boycott and the rest of the Yorkshire Committee. In 1982 Boycott and Graham Stevenson added a record 149 runs for Yorkshire's tenth wicket against Warwickshire, Stevenson scoring 115 of these runs.^[77]

On 3 October 1983 the friction between Boycott and the committee culminated in a unanimous decision not to offer Boycott a contract for the next season. This generated much protest from Boycott supporters, who rallied, calling for his reinstatement at a meeting on 9 October in Ossett, Yorkshire. Bill Athey left the club at this time, and while Boycott in his biography maintained that he had no reason to believe that his actions had caused Athey's departure, Athey later stated to biographer Leo McKinstry that "Boycott's attitude and the atmosphere he created had everything to do with my decision to leave Yorkshire." The "Members 84 Group", consisting of strong supporters of Boycott, met regularly to clamour for the batsman's reinstatement.^[78] Their leader, Peter Briggs, stated "Geoffrey Boycott is a giant playing among pygmies."^[79]

On 21 January 1984 the Yorkshire Club committee, in the face of this rising pressure, agreed to offer Boycott a contract for 1984. Several members of the committee, including Trueman, Billy Sutcliffe and Ronnie Burnet, resigned. Of the replacement members, 17 were from the Members 84 Group, and Boycott himself was elected, leaving him with both a position on the team and on the Yorkshire Club committee.^[80] The 1984 season was, however, not the most prolific for Boycott. McKinstry records that he scored slowly in several matches: 60 in 52  overs against Somerset; 53 in 51  overs against Hampshire;^[81] 17 in 26  overs against Leicestershire; 77 in 67  overs against Sussex. This was coupled with continued friction between himself and both players and club members.^[82] In particular, Boycott's place on both the team and the committee led to feelings of distrust from both – though Boycott denies this – which led to the loss of support from long-term ally Sid Fielden.^[83]

His success on the field resumed in 1985, where he scored 1,657 runs at 75.31, second only to Viv Richards in the national averages. He also shared a record opening partnership of 351 with Martyn Moxon. In contrast to the poor relations between Boycott and the senior players, many junior members of the team remember 1985 and 1986 as pleasant times to be around Boycott, who often coached them on their technique.^[84] 1986 saw Boycott score 890 runs at 52.35, his season cut short by injuries which were becoming more frequent as he passed the age of 45.^[85] This season was the first since 1962 that he had not hit an overall total of 1,000 runs; he finished eight short in his final match, when he was run out for 61. He advised the then captain to enforce the follow-on, and did not bat again. Since 1984, support for Boycott had waned in light of his slow scoring, multiple injuries and the general atmosphere around him. Both Brian Close and Ray Illingworth increasingly advocated his removal to Yorkshire's committee, and on 23 September 1986 it was confirmed that he would not be offered a contract for the following year. A few months later, captain David Bairstow, a long term ally of Boycott whose leadership had Boycott's support, was ruled out of the running for captaincy for the following season, which was instead given to Phil Carrick, of whom Boycott disapproved. Boycott paid tribute to the Reform Group in 1987, describing them as "dedicated Yorkshire members with a heartfelt stake in their club." He suggests that Close and Illingworth feared his popularity.^[86] Boycott was offered contracts by other counties, including Derbyshire and Glamorgan, but he never took these offers up, nor played professional cricket again.^[87] At the time of his retirement he had scored more first-class runs than any other player.^[88]

Test Match career[link]

Over Boycott's 18 year career he scored 8,114 runs in 108 Test matches for England. He was the first England cricketer to pass 8,000 Test runs and, as of 2012, is fourth on England's all-time run scoring list (behind Graham Gooch, Alec Stewart and David Gower). His average of 47.72 runs over 193 innings is the highest completed career average among England players since 1970. His Test career included 22 centuries (an England record held jointly with Wally Hammond and Colin Cowdrey). England did not lose a Test match in which he scored a century and only 20 of his 108 Tests ended in defeat.^[12] John Arlott wrote in 1979 that "any expectation of an English win, except in freak bowling conditions, is based on a major innings from Boycott."^[10]

Debut year[link]

Boycott began his Test career on 4 June 1964, only two years after his first-class debut, in the first Test against Australia. He top scored with 48 runs from 118 deliveries before he was bowled by Grahame Corling. The match ended as a rain-affected draw, and Boycott did not bat in the second innings as he had suffered a cracked finger.^[90][91] He made 58 at Old Trafford, and then hit 113 at The Oval, his maiden Test century. He finished his first Test series with 291 runs at 48.50.^[92] In the winter of 1964, Boycott was selected for the England team touring South Africa. After a series of low scores during the warm up matches, he was more successful in the Test series. His innings included scores of 73 runs in the opening Test, 76 in the fourth, and 117 in the fifth and final match. He averaged 49.66 in all first-class cricket during the tour, and took five wickets with the ball as England won the Test series 1–0.^[93] He made a mixed impression on the other England players, who were impressed by his talent but perplexed by his introverted attitude each time he was dismissed.^[94]

Early career[link]

England hosted New Zealand and South Africa in 1965. Against New Zealand, Boycott scored 23 and 44 not out in the first Test at Edgbaston and 76 in the second at Lord's, but missed the third Test owing to injury. He returned against South Africa at Lord's, but after scores of 31 and a slow 28 in 105 minutes,^[95] the press began to speculate that his may lose his place in the team. In the second Test, Boycott made a duck in the first innings and later took 140 minutes to score 16 runs when England needed to score quickly; Wisden described the latter innings as a "dreadful effort when courage was needed".^[96] Subsequently, Boycott was dropped and replaced by Eric Russell.^[96] Boycott returned to the team at the end of the season for the tour to Australia. In the 1965-66 Ashes series, illness dogged his performance initially.^[97] He then hit a form of "brighter cricket" during the First and Second Tests. Uncharacteristically, he hit a four from his very first delivery at Perth, and put on 98 in 16 overs with Bob Barber in the Second Test. In the Third Test, Boycott and Barber shared an opening partnership of 234 in four hours; Boycott hit 84, his highest score of the series. But in the Fifth Test he monopolised the strike, ran out Bob Barber and took 75 minutes to make 17 runs. His form deserted him again when the MCC went on to tour New Zealand.^[98]

In 1966, England faced the West Indies. Boycott was omitted from the first Test, but shared a partnership of 115 with Tom Graveney. However, he struggled during the series, and managed an average of 26.57. ^[99] It was a disappointing year for Boycott both for England and Yorkshire, and his average for the former fell to 36.60.^[100] Furthermore, he had only passed 50 twice in his last 12 first-class innings.^[101] The following summer, he rediscovered his form. On 8 and 9 June 1967, he made his highest Test score of 246 not out against India on his home ground of Headingley. Batting for 573 minutes,^[102] Boycott struck thirty fours and a six at a strike rate of 44.32.^[102] He began his innings slowly, taking six hours over his first 106 runs; he scored 17 in the first hour and 8 in the second. This particularly frustrated the England selectors as the pitch was excellent for batting, and the Indian attack was weakened by injury.^[103] Their frustration was exacerbated when Boycott added 140 runs in four hours on the second day.^[104] Ian Wooldridge wrote in the Daily Mail that Boycott "could not be excused by his nearest and dearest relations."^[103] He did not bat in the second innings and England won by six wickets.^[102]

Boycott's slow scoring led to increasing media pressure, and owing to his perceived selfish attitude, he was dropped from the team after the match.^[101] He remembered in 1987 that "the decision stunned me at the time, though looking back now I see that it had become inevitable. I was mortified with embarrassment and filled with an angry, burning sense of injustice which I can remember clearly an painfully to this day."^[105] A combination of low confidence and a throat infection limited Boycott to two further Test appearances, playing once more against India and once against Pakistan, for the rest of the year. He nevertheless again topped the domestic averages with 1260 at 48.46.^[106] In 1967, Boycott toured the West Indies with England, where he hit a rich seam of form. He scored 463 runs at 66.14 in a series England won 1–0.^[107]

Headingley Cricket Ground, in Leeds, was Boycott's home and favourite ground, the scene of his hundredth first class century

Over the next two years, Boycott appeared only intermittently in the Test team. A back injury forced him to miss half of the 1967 season, and an average of 32.40 against the Australians during the 1968 Ashes was unspectacular.^[12] Domestically, his injury also limited his contribution, however he did hit five centuries before he was forced to stop playing in June 1968.^[108] Health problems with his spleen and trouble adjusting to wearing contact lenses meant that Boycott missed the tour of Pakistan in 1967–68,^[109] but he returned to the team by the summer of 1969, scoring 128 against the West Indies at Old Trafford, and another century at Lord's. However, he lost form in the rest of the season; he scored 12 and 0 in the third Test and averaged only 20.20, with two ducks, in the three Tests against New Zealand.^[110]

Boycott was left out of the first three Tests against the World XI in 1970,he played in the fourth and scored 15 and 64, and in the final Test of the summer scored 157. He won the Walter Lawrence Trophy for this century.^[2] He was selected for the 1970–71 tour of Australia, and averaged 95.93 over all first-class matches.^[111] He scored 173 in the opening first-class game, followed by 124 against Queensland. In the third Test match, having hit good partnerships in the first two, Boycott made 77 and 142 not out.^[112] During the second match, Boycott allegedly told Basil D'Oliveira, the latter having just announced that he had worked out the action of Australian spinner Johnny Gleeson, that he had "sorted that out a fortnight ago." This incident was used as evidence for Boycott's selfish attitude for many years after. His highest score was 142 not out in the second innings of the Fourth Test at Sydney, in a 299-run victory. The Fifth Test was drawn, Boycott making 12 and 76*, and in the Sixth Test he was run out for 58. Boycott initially refused to leave the ground in disbelief, and eventually walked off to jeering from the crowd.^[113] He made 119 in the second innings but injured his arm against fast bowler Garth McKenzie in a following one day match and missed the final Test, when England retained the Ashes. He later maintained that the injury permanently affected his wrist, and that he carried a squash ball in a sock in his pocket, which he could squeeze to keep his wrist strong.^[114] He ended the series with 657 Test runs at 93.85.^[8]

In 1971, Boycott made his One Day International debut against Australia, the press by then touting him as the best batsman in the world.^[8] He was the first batsman to receive a ball in a one day international and his was the first wicket to fall,^[2] after he had scored eight runs from 37 balls.^[115] In the summer of 1971 he enjoyed an average of over 100 in domestic cricket,^[16] and scored 121 not out against Pakistan at Lord's.^[58] He played only two Tests in 1972 owing to a series of injuries, but rejoined the team in the West Indies under Denness' captaincy. Boycott was dismissed for 99 in the first innings against the West Indies at Port-of-Spain in 1973–74 and scored 112 in the second, followed by a career-best first-class score of 261 not out against a West Indies Board President's XI.^[116] Boycott and Denness did not get on well, and at the end of the tour they clashed over Boycott's preference for a one day match over a three day game against Bermuda. Boycott recalled in his autobiography that when Denness confronted him on the issue he replied "Get out of here before I do something I'll regret."^[117] Boycott had "no confidence in Denness's professional ability and no respect for him as a man and another tour like the previous one to the West Indies was the last thing I wanted."^[118]

Exile[link]

Between 1974 and 1977, Boycott to make himself unavailable for England. He claimed in 2006 that he had simply lost his appetite for Test cricket and the stress became too much for him.^[119] Boycott's biographer, McKinstry, speculates that the self-imposed exile may also have been linked to the appointments of Mike Denness and then Tony Greig to the England captaincy, in preference to Boycott.^[120] Boycott was very critical of Denness's captaincy and his standard of batting in his autobiography in 1987, citing it as a factor in his decision, along with the pressures at Yorkshire.^[118] His weak immune system was a recurring motivation for not touring the Indian subcontinent. This period of exile coincided with the peaks of several fast bowlers' careers, including Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson, Andy Roberts, and Michael Holding. However, he later came back to face the West Indies pace battery at its most fearsome in the late 70s and early 80s.^{[citation needed]}

Boycott has responded to these accusations by pointing out that Lillee had been out of cricket for 21 months suffering from a serious back complaint and that Thomson had not played in Tests for 23 months prior to the 1974–5 Ashes series, since an unsuccessful debut Test against Pakistan (Thomson's match figures were 0–110).^[121] Furthermore, he was dismissed for 99 in the first innings against the West Indies at Port-of-Spain in 1973–74 and scored 112 in the second, followed by a career-best 261 not out against a West Indies Board President's XI. All of these teams included Roberts, with a young Holding representing the Board XI.^[116]

In the mean time, "When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease" was released by Roy Harper in 1975, and again in 1978, dedicated to Boycott and John Snow.^[122][123]

Comeback Tests[link]

When Boycott returned to the Test side against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1977 he ran out Derek Randall in front of his home crowd before going on to make a century. In this match, in which Ian Botham made his England debut, Boycott batted on each of the five days of the match: his first innings 107 started at the end of the first day, he batted throughout the second day and was dismissed on the third day; he started his second innings at the end of day four and batted throughout England's successful run chase scoring 80 not out, scoring the winning runs in partnership with Randall. Among England batsmen, only Allan Lamb and Andrew Flintoff have emulated this feat of batting on all five days, and both subsequent to Boycott. He also had a 215-run partnership with Alan Knott.^[124] Botham later remarked that "The Aussies, shell-shocked at having to bowl at Boycott for twenty-two and a half hours, capitulated without much of a fight. "^[6]

On 12 August 1977 he scored 191 against Australia in the fourth Test in front of a full house at his home ground of Leeds, becoming the first cricketer to score his one hundredth first-class century in a Test match.^[125] Boycott reached the milestone from the bowling of Greg Chappell with an on drive for four.^[126][127] In the match, Boycott became the fourth English player to be on the field for the entire duration of a Test.^[125] Boycott ended the series 442 runs at an average of 147.33.^[6]

Appointed vice-captain for the tour of Pakistan and New Zealand that winter, Boycott assumed the captaincy in 1978 for two Tests when Mike Brearley was injured, and brought with him his successful summer form. However, he was replaced upon Brearley's return. While the rest of the England team took part in warm-up matches, Boycott remained in Lahore and organised a special warm up match where the team would play itself. However he went on to occupy the crease for a long period of time, limiting the amount of time other players had to practice. He later stated that, as the number one batsman, he should have the most time in the middle.^[128] In the second Test match, he scored 79 and 100 not out, increasing his statistics since his return to the England team to 684 runs at 136.80.^[128] It was between this match and the third Test that Brearley broke his arm, giving Boycott the captaincy.^[128] Boycott led England to a draw in the third match, his leadership meeting mixed reviews.^[129]

Following Pakistan, Boycott and the England team travelled to New Zealand. England were defeated in the opening Test for the first time in 48 years. Boycott took seven hours and 22 minutes to score 77 runs, and England were bowled out for 64 when chasing 137 to win.^[130] In the second match, Botham's first Test century took England to 418, but by the end of the match England needed to score quickly to force a win. Boycott, however, told his team that he would play the way he always had, and proceeded to accumulate runs very slowly. Derek Randall was run out, and Botham came out to bat with his captain, informing the dressing room that "Boycs will be back in here before the end of the over."^[130] Botham then ran Boycott out, later claiming in his autobiography that he had done it deliberately.^[131] Indeed, some have suggested that this was a team order. Boycott disputes the suggestion that the run-out was deliberate in his autobiography, referring to Botham's account as "a story that gets bigger and more fanciful with every telling".^[132] The tale does nevertheless remain a renowned story.^[133] Boycott then delayed his declaration, much to the frustration of England bowler Bob Willis. England did eventually declare, and Willis took 4/14. New Zealand were bowled out for 105 and England won by 174 runs. Boycott suffered a scratch on his cornea and missed the last two days of the final match,^[134] and by the start of the 1978 season, Brearley had taken the captaincy back from Boycott.^[135]

Ashes series, West Indies and India[link]

Boycott played 38 Test matches against Australia during Ashes' competitions, scoring 2945 runs at 47.50, with seven centuries.^[136]

During the 1978–79 Ashes series, Boycott unusually went in at No. 11 in the second innings of a match against state side South Australia (not due to injury).^[137] At Perth on 15 December, he also scored 77 runs without hitting a boundary – the highest total of this nature – though it did include an all-run four.^[138] England went on to win the six-Test series 5–1,^[139] with Boycott struggling overall through three of the Tests with 263 runs at 21.91.^[140] Boycott then played in the 1979 Cricket World Cup held in England, taking two wickets in the opening match against Australia, which England won. The hosts then went on to win their next two games and topped their table for the opening round. Reaching the final after a close victory against New Zealand in which Boycott scored only two,^[141] he hit 57 from 105 balls as England chased Viv Richards 138 not out-inspired 286 to win, falling 92 runs short at 194 all out.^[142] Boycott ended the competition with the sixth highest strike rate of 42.99 and an average of 23.00.^[143]

Following the World Cup, against Australia during a Test match at Perth in 1979–80, Boycott became the first man to be marooned on 99 not out in a Test when he ran out of partners. England then toured the West Indies. Here, Boycott again faced the West Indies' feared pace attack, but succeeded in scoring centuries off the likes of Holding, Roberts, Colin Croft and Joel Garner, despite having passed the age of 40 the previous year.^[89] Other batsmen, such as David Gower found the attack difficult to cope with, and the later England captain stated that Boycott often had no sympathy.^[144] Boycott was the third most successful batsman, behind Gooch and Gower, during a tour where England went down 2–0. He scored 70 in the opening match, the only England player to pass 50.^[144] In the third match, Boycott was to face what was later said to be Holding's greatest over.^[145] Boycott was hit on the gloves by the first delivery, played-and-missed the second outside off stump, was hit on the thigh by the third, fended the next two deliveries away with his bat, and was then bowled by the final delivery.^[145][146] Though in 1987 Boycott would claim a 1966 delivery by Gary Sobers to be the best he ever faced in cricket,^[147] he noted of Holding's over that "for the first time in my life I can look at a scoreboard with a duck against my name and not feel a profound sense of failure. "^[146] Boycott led an England fight back in the fourth Test. Having watched Holding's over several times on video, and worked in the nets on his game, Boycott came out and made 38 in the first innings and then hit his twentieth Test century. His career run total was now 7,410, gaining on Gary Sobers' record of 8,032.^[148]

Boycott was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1980 Queen's Birthday Honours "for services to Cricket."^[13][149] He then played in the 1981 Ashes series, despite being aged 40. During the second Test at Lord's Cricket Ground Boycott was dismissed 40 short of a hundred by Dennis Lillee, and was "crushed" given that, as it was his hundredth Test match, he wished to score a century.^[9] Forever keen on the England captaincy, Boycott's hopes were cut short when Botham's 149 not out secured victory in Boycott's 101st Test match, and Mike Brearley's position as captain was made secure.^[11] During the series, Boycott became concerned with his form and that he may be dropped before he could chase Sobers' record in the upcoming tour of India. He had scored only 10 and 37 in the Fifth Test, however in the drawn Sixth Test at The Oval he scored 137, passing Colin Cowdrey's record of 7624 runs and becoming England's highest run-scorer.^[150] He ended the series behind only Botham, with 392 runs at 32.66.^[151]

"Bye bye Boycott"[link]

By now, Boycott's fame and constant attention from the media had begun to affect his personal life.^[152] He was again refused the captaincy for the next Test series against India over the winter of 1981–82. Angered by this decision, he stated that "even the Yorkshire Ripper got a fair trial in the dock but I've not been given a single chance."^[9][153] He later battled Keith Fletcher over his slow scoring rate, playing Fletcher's comments to him during a press conference using a tape recorder.^[154] The series against India was to be his last. In his final ODI match during England's tour he scored 6 from 12 deliveries.^[155] During the following Test series he passed Sobers' career run record, hitting 60 in the first Test, 36 and 50 in the second to take him 81 runs short, and in the third Test he overtook the record with a flick off his pads for four.^[156] He thus became the leading Test run-scorer.^[8] In his last Test match, the fourth of the tour, taking place in January 1982, he scored 18 and six.^[157] During the tour, Boycott claimed that he was too ill to field in a Test Match, but it was later discovered that he was playing golf while his team mates were still out on the field.^[158]

This led to Boycott being dropped from the side and forced to return to England, despite apologising via note to the England dressing room.^[11][159] He claimed in his autobiography, however, that he went to the golf course following medical advice to get fresh air.^[158] Later in 1982 he was instrumental in organising, in defiance of a United Nations and a TCCB ban, a so-called "rebel" tour of apartheid South Africa by 13 current and former England Test cricketers, who were almost all nearing the end of their careers. All the players were banned from international cricket for three years as a result.^[160] By the mid-1980s, with Boycott in good county form and physical shape, there was speculation that he might return to the England side. David Gower, England captain of the time, however, stated that "Geoffrey's been a marvellous servant for England but we have to look to the future and, in view of his age, it wouldn't make an awful lot of sense to pick him again." This was confirmed by the return of Graham Gooch and Tim Robinson's 175 against Australia at Leeds, which prompted Botham, who had once remarked that Boycott was "totally, almost insanely, selfish",^[153] to sing "Bye bye Boycott" from the England balcony.^[161]

Commentator, controversy and later life[link]

Commentating[link]

Cricket commentator and statistician Simon Hughes states that Boycott is fastidious in the commentary box, always immaculately dressed, and never socialises with the other commentators or production staff.^[163] Bill Sinrich, an official of Trans World International, commented that Boycott "fulfilled all our hopes. He was animated, intelligent, informed, with opinions that got the attention of most people."^[164] Boycott is noted as having invented the phrase "corridor of uncertainty" as a reference to the area outside the off stump where a batsman is unsure whether he should leave or hit the ball, and for using a key to measure the hardness of the pitch, that is until this was outlawed by the International Cricket Council.^[4]

Boycott was offered a role by talkSPORT.^[165][166] He continued to commentate for the station, along with various satellite and Asian channels, until 2003, when his career was further threatened by throat cancer. Having successfully undergone treatment, Boycott enjoyed a renaissance in his career as he returned to high-profile commentating with Channel 4, which had meanwhile taken over from the BBC in televising England's home Test games. In November 2005, Boycott rejoined the BBC's Test Match Special to provide commentary for England's 2005 tour of Pakistan. In January 2006, Boycott joined Asian channel Ten Sports. He delivered the Colin Cowdrey Lecture in 2005, speaking about the need for cricket to adapt to changing circumstances and embrace innovations like Twenty20.

Boycott worked on Cricket on Five with Mark Nicholas and Simon Hughes as co-commentators, and was a member of the BBC Cricket Team for commentary on the 2006/7 Ashes series. His role, as in his other commentary-related work, was to contribute to discussion of the main talking points. During England's 5–0 whitewash by Australia, Boycott stated that the team were undeserving of their MBEs and that he felt "so bad about mine I'm going to tie it round my cat. It doesn't mean anything any more. It's a joke".^[13] Boycott has been credited as having a high level of influence in the game, with Yorkshire's Chief Executive Stewart Regan crediting Boycott over the completion of a deal for Younis Khan to play county cricket for Yorkshire in the 2007 season.^[167] On a larger scale, Boycott has worked towards scrapping the rule at Yorkshire regarding the number of overseas players. He stated that he believed Brian Close and the other selectors to be living in past times, and that he wished to encourage a growth in the number of players from Pakistan, the West Indies or India.^[168]

His on air commentary has caused controversy. As a commentator, Boycott has renewed his 'pull-no-punches' style in contrast to most of his fellow commentators. In particular he is known for criticising players, often in a caustic and strident style. After witnessing a dropped catch, he said "I reckon my mum could have caught that in her pinny", and in 2005 he mocked the Australian captain Ricky Ponting for electing to bowl first on a batsman-friendly pitch, saying he was a "nice man" for being so generous to the England team. In 2006, he was initially receptive to the difficulties endured by Marcus Trescothick during his periods of stress-related illness; however, he was not always as amiable.^[119] In March 2008, recently dropped Steve Harmison attacked Boycott in an article in the Mail on Sunday where he referred to Boycott as a "waste of space."^[15] This was in response to Boycott's statement a few days previously on 19 March 2008 that if Harmison "gets a central contract this summer then a lot of us will be screaming favouritism and a total waste of money. England should forget him".^[169]

Nevertheless, Boycott has enjoyed a successful commentating career, and his opinions are sought across a number of cricketing media. As well as newspaper columns, Boycott contributes to several online blogs, podcasts and question and answer sessions, notably on the BBC News website and CricInfo.^[170] He is also popular among cricket pundits and biographers, being the subject of three significant biographies from 1982 to 2000,^[164] while his comments are reproduced across a number of published cricketing quotes collections.^[162]

Court case[link]

Boycott's personal life has continued to enter the spotlight on occasion since his retirement from England and the beginning of his commentary career. In 1996, Boycott assaulted Margaret Moore, a former lover. Boycott denied the charges, claiming she had fallen over and injured herself. He pointed to the fact that Moore was in financial difficulties and said that he would never hit a woman. However, in the second trial beginning on 20 October 1998, Boycott, having missed the first trial in January where his conviction had been set, appeared before a French Magistrates court and was given a three-month suspended sentence,^[171] and his £5,300 fine was confirmed.^[172] He was criticised by the Magistrate for the way he conducted his case and for "rudely interrupting" Mrs Moore's barrister.^[173] According to Boycott, Moore had grown angry when he refused to marry her, stating that "he was not the marrying kind" and had fallen when throwing his clothing from the window, hitting her head on the carpet.^[174] However, when he again appealed against his conviction, Moore's version of events that Boycott had attacked her by punching her in the face, causing bruising, was upheld, in the light of photographs of her injuries shown to the court and the testimony of a doctor that the injuries could not have been caused in the way described by Boycott.^[175] Boycott nevertheless later married Margaret Rachel Swinglehurst on 26 February 2003 at Wakefield Register Office, and they have a daughter, born October 1988.^[176] They currently live in Woolley.^[177][178]

The conviction gravely jeopardised Boycott's commentating career. At the time of the conviction he was working for BSkyB and BBC Radio, commentating on England's tour of the West Indies. He was sacked from both roles.^[179][180] He was also sacked from his columnist's job in The Sun, which announced the dismissal in an article on the front page with the headline "Sun Sacks Boycott the Brute",^[181] although the Sun gave Boycott an undertaking in writing that they would continue to employ him regardless of the result of the court case,^[121] as did Talk Sport.^[182] A BBC television spokesman said "Geoffrey Boycott is not under contract with the BBC [television] and there are no plans to use him in the future."^[183]

Boycott's commentating career continued, however, as he was able to carry on working overseas, particularly in India. He hosted The Sunny and Boycs Show with Sunil Gavaskar and he hosted the touring Indian team at his home in August 2002.^[184] He also worked in South Africa and coached the Pakistan cricket team upon request. In 2001, as resentment towards him in the British media following the court case died down, he was reinstated as a writer for British newspapers, and there was speculation that he would lead Lancashire Cricket Club following the departure of Bobby Simpson, though Mike Watkinson eventually took the role.

Throat cancer[link]

talkSPORT, as well as both Indian and South African television programs, continued to use Boycott as a commentator in 2002, during which he suffered a continual sore throat. Finding a lump while shaving, Boycott returned to England, and on 20 August 2002 was examined at Leeds General Infirmary. By 3 September, he was informed that he had four cancerous tumours in his throat.^[4] Initially, surgeons recommended an eight-hour procedure to remove the tumours; however, their size and proximity to his voice box eventually persuaded them to recommend radiotherapy, of which Boycott had 35 sessions from 22 October. By December, scans revealed that the majority of the tumours had disappeared, and the final tumour's disappearance was confirmed in early 2003.^[185] Although initially reluctant to discuss his health with the public, he spoke privately with his daughter, Emma, and then released a statement publicly, which evoked a significant emotional response.^[186] On 16 August 2003, he was given his own standing ovation by the crowd at Trent Bridge as he and a number of other cricketers did a lap of the ground in vehicles to celebrate Trent Bridge's 50th Test match.^[176]

Return to commentary[link]

Following this public support, Boycott resumed writing for the Daily Telegraph and commentating on Channel Four for the Cheltenham and Gloucester Championship Final and the following summer's cricket. Radio Five Live then hired Boycott in early 2004. His fellow commentators state that his illness has altered his voice and led to a more pleasant personality, but that he is still prone to unpleasant behaviour. Channel Four producer Gary Francis stated "I think Geoff is a lot more mellow now. He still has his moments, like when the taxi does not arrive and he is not happy, as he makes extremely clear. But overall he's great fun to work with."^[187] In September 2004, Boycott wrote for the Daily Telegraph a posthumous tribute to life-long friend Brian Clough.^[188] In early 2008 there was speculation that Boycott would be awarded a role amongst the England coaching staff, pertaining in particular to the coaching of Andrew Flintoff back from injury.^[189]

On 8 May 2008, however, the ECB revealed that Boycott would not hold such a position. The two had been involved in the past, and while Flintoff is an admirer of Boycott, the ECB stressed any coaching relationship would only be informal. Boycott, however, used to give informal talks to younger cricket players during his career, and the media speculated that he might find a place coaching the England U19s.^[189] Boycott continued in his commentating career for TMS, criticising the England team's approach to the ODI matches under Pietersen in India in November 2008.^[190] Also in November, Daily Mail contributor Leo McKinstry published a new biography on Boycott.^[164] On 2 January 2009, Boycott, along with 54 others, was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.^[14] He continued to be an active member of the cricket community, voicing his support in late April 2009 for Pakistan player Saeed Ajmal, and calling for the legalisation of the doosra spin-bowling delivery.^[191]

Boycott continued to be vocal in matters cricket. He levelled criticism in July against Kevin Pietersen for his captaincy difficulties and in September against Andrew Flintoff for his apparent favour of club cricket over internationals.^[192][193] On 29 November 2009, he was commentating an ODI between England and South Africa when he was heard swearing on air following a catch taken by Paul Collingwood dismissed Ryan McLaren. The BBC released a statement on 30 November which read: "An off-air comment made by Geoffrey Boycott in a live broadcast was heard by some listeners which we apologised for as soon as we realised it had been audible."^[194][195] He nevertheless continued to be a part of the commentating team, scheduled to travel to Australia to broadcast on the 2010-11 Ashes series.^[196]

Playing style[link]

Boycott's playing style revolved around intense concentration, solid defence and attention to detail, while avoiding heavy hitting or slogging.^[198] He was described in The Complete Encyclopaedia of Cricket as "one of the greatest opening batsman that the game has known. He dedicated his life to the art of batting, practising assiduously and eschewing any shot that might even hint at threatening the loss of his wicket."^[8] Through his Test career, he scored 15.4% of England's runs, and England won 32.41% of the Tests in which Boycott played.^[199] This compares with England's 34.76% victory rate over all Test cricket history.^[200] Richard Hutton, Yorkshire and England batsman and son of Len Hutton described Boycott as a "one-pace player", suggesting that he was unable to alter his playing pace as the match circumstances dictated.^[201] Nevertheless, Boycott maintained an "impeccable" defensive technique, and possessed a temperament ideally suited for five-day Test matches.^[202] Arlott wrote that "his technique is based on a defence organised as near flawlessness as may be."^[203] Boycott himself remarked, in 1981, that: "Given the choice between Racquel Welch and a hundred at Lord's, I'd take the hundred every time."^[153] His careful batting is reflected in his 22 centuries for England, of which only two had a strike rate of over 51.00.^[204] Former England bowler Frank Tyson wrote in 1987, in The Test Within, that "the greatness of Boycott the batsman and the gaffes of Boycott the man had common roots in an unceasing quest after perfection."^[153]

While this style facilitated his solid defensive play, it inhibited him as a stroke player and made him susceptible to hand and arm injuries. Such injuries would be common throughout his career.^[205] One such injury almost required the tip of a broken finger to be amputated. He was occasionally vulnerable to left-arm bowlers, either due to his inability to adjust his line of stroke or because during his career there were few fast left-hand bowlers for him to practice against in the nets.^[206] Boycott himself disputes this. In spite of that, he was never vulnerable to any one particular bowler. Pace bowler Dennis Lillee was the most successful against him in Test matches, with seven dismissals. Gary Sobers also dismissed him seven times, but Lillee did so in fewer matches.^[199][207] Peter Lever, a Test colleague, discussed with Boycott his vulnerability when playing the hook stroke, which was to get him out on more than one occasion.^[208][209] Overall in Test cricket, 54% of Boycott's dismissals were by being caught, with lbw, and bowled taking 14% and 16% respectively.^[199]

Boycott was also a very occasional medium-pace inswing bowler. He was never a genuine all-rounder, but took seven wickets at Test level at an average of 54.57, often bowling wearing his cap turned back-to-front to assist his vision.^[4] At the start of his career, Boycott was a below average fielder, having received no coaching on this from Yorkshire and with little inclination to rectify it when concentrating on his batting. A fellow Yorkshire batsman Ken Taylor worked with Boycott, who was "limited in [fielding] ability, " but had "tremendous determination". With further help from his two brothers Boycott's fielding improved. He became a safe pair of hands generally at cover point,^[210] though he continued to lack power and pace in the field,^[211] never taking more than two catches in a Test innings, and averaging 0.170 dismissals per innings with 33 career catches in all.^[212] He would remark in his autobiography that his usual fielding positions depended not on the tactical situation but on whether the captain was one of Boycott's critics, who would therefore banish him to a remote part of the field.

Written works[link]

Throughout his career in international cricket and well into retirement, Boycott has written a number of works on cricket, including his own autobiography and a joint project on the biography of umpire Dickie Bird:

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Geoffrey Boycott

• Geoff Boycott's Book for Young Cricketers, 1976.
• Put to the Test, 1979.
• Opening up, 1980.
• In The Fast Lane, 1981
• Sir Geoffrey. 21 Years of Yorkshire Cricket, 1984.
• Boycott: The Autobiography, 1987.
• Free as a Bird: Like and Times of Harold "Dickie" Bird with David Hopps, 1997.
• Boycott on Cricket, 1990.
• Geoffrey Boycott on Cricket, 1999.
• The Best XI, 2008

Records[link]

• Wisden, a Cricketer of the Year for 1965,^[2] when he played nine Test matches, scoring 617 runs with one century and four fifties at an average of 47.46.^[213]
• Winner of the Walter Lawrence Trophy in 1970.^[2]

Test matches[link]

Boycott's abilities in the Test match theatre during his career of 17 years and 216 days,^[214] have left him with a number of Test cricket records. He is the sixth most capped player for England in Tests,^[2] and is the fourth highest career runs total for an England player, 8114, behind Graham Gooch, Alec Stewart and David Gower.^[215] He was the fourteenth quickest player to reach 8,000 runs, taking 190 innings.^[216] He topped the national averages for six seasons, the highest of any post-World War II player,^[217] and holds the current record for the most centuries for England, shared with Cowdrey and Hammond.^[7][217] Boycott was also the first player to score 99 not out,^[217] and the first to score 99 and then a century in a Test match.^[217] The forty-eight century partnerships he was involved in remains a record for any England player.^[217] In 1977 against Australia, Boycott became the first England player to bat on all five days of a Test match.^[2] He spent the 629 minutes at the crease for 191 runs in 1977.^[218]

Opening partners[link]

Such was Boycott's longevity in the game that he had 16 opening partners for England.^[219][220]

Career performance[link]

		Batting[221]				Bowling[222]
Opposition	Matches	Runs	Average	High Score	100 / 50	Runs	Wickets	Average	Best
Australia	38	2945	47.50	191	7/14	107	2	53.50	2/32
India	13	1084	57.05	246*	4/2	8	0	–	–
New Zealand	15	916	38.16	131	2/6	30	0	–	–
Pakistan	6	591	84.42	121*	3/3	4	0	–	–
South Africa	7	373	37.30	117	1/2	217	5	43.40	3/47
West Indies	29	2205	45.93	128	5/15	16	0	–	–
Overall	108	8114	47.72	246*	22/42	382	7	54.57	3/47

Test centuries[link]

Geoffrey Boycott's 22 Test Centuries
No	1st	2nd	Test	Opponents	Season	Venue	City	Country	Result
1	30	113	Fifth Test	Australia	1964	Kennington Oval	London	England	Match Drawn
2	117	7	Fifth Test	South Africa	1964–65	St George's Park	Port Elizabeth	South Africa	Match Drawn
3	246*		First Test	India	1967	Headingley Stadium	Leeds	England	England won by 6 wickets
4	116	30	Fifth Test	West Indies	1967–68	Bourda	Georgetown	Guyana	Match Drawn
5	128	1*	First Test	West Indies	1969	Old Trafford Cricket Ground	Manchester	England	England won by 10 wickets
6	23	106	Second Test	West Indies	1969	Lord's Cricket Ground	London	England	Match Drawn
7	77	142*	Fourth Test	Australia	1970–71	Sydney Cricket Ground	Sydney	Australia	England won by 299 runs
8	58	119*	Sixth Test	Australia	1970–71	Adelaide Oval	Adelaide	Australia	Match Drawn
9	121*		Second Test	Pakistan	1971	Lord's Cricket Ground	London	England	Match Drawn
10	112	13	Third Test	Pakistan	1971	Headingley Stadium	Leeds	England	England won by 25 runs
11	115		Third Test	New Zealand	1973	Headingley Stadium	Leeds	England	England won by an innings and 1 run
12	99	112	Fifth Test	West Indies	1973–74	Queen's Park Oval	Port of Spain	Trinidad and Tobago	England won by 26 runs
13	107	80*	Third Test	Australia	1977	Trent Bridge	Nottingham	England	England won by 7 wickets
14	191		Fourth Test	Australia	1977	Headingley Stadium	Leeds	England	England won by an innings and 85 runs
15	79	100*	Second Test	Pakistan	1977–78	Niaz Stadium	Hyderabad	Pakistan	Match Drawn
16	131		Second Test	New Zealand	1978	Trent Bridge	Nottingham	England	England won by an innings and 119 runs
17	155		First Test	India	1979	Edgbaston Cricket Ground	Birmingham	England	England won by an innings and 83 runs
18	35	125	Fourth Test	India	1979	Kennington Oval	London	England	Match Drawn
19	62	128*	Centenary Test	Australia	1980	Lord's Cricket Ground	London	England	Match Drawn
20	38	104*	Fourth Test	West Indies	1980–81	Antigua Recreation Ground	St John's	Antigua and Barbuda	Match Drawn
21	137	0	Sixth Test	Australia	1981	Kennington Oval	London	England	Match Drawn
22	105	34*	Third Test	India	1981–82	Feroz Shah Kotla	Delhi	India	Match Drawn