Brian Booth

Template:Infobox Historic Cricketer Brian Charles Booth (born October 19, 1933 in Bathurst, New South Wales) is a former Test cricketer who played for Australia. He was primarily a right-handed middle order batsman at No. 4 or 5 who occasionally bowled right arm medium pace or off spin. He was of modest height and had an inclination to use his feet to attack spin bowling [1]. He was also a member of the Australian field hockey team, that competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.

He captained Australia for two Tests in the mid 1960s before being succeeded by Bill Lawry.

He had a fine first-class career for Australia and New South Wales, which spanned from 1954 to 1968, scoring 11,265 runs at an average of 45.42, including a top score of 214 not out.

Early years

Booth represented Bathurst High School at the age of 13 and 15 and played first grade cricket in Bathurst, and was selected in the New South Wales country side in 1947 at the age of just 14. In 1950 he represented New South Wales Country against a combined Sydney team, and in 1952 moved to St. George to play on a regular, weekly basis.

He made his Sheffield Shield debut for New South Wales Blues in the 1954-55 season but then took a year out of cricket when he was part of the Australian field hockey team which finished fifth in the 1956 Olympics. [2]

Test career

In 1960 Booth was selected for the Australian cricket team for the tour of New Zealand, but did not make his Test debut, only playing in Tour matches. He was then selected for The Ashes tour of England in 1961, playing the final two Test matches where he scored a half century. He did not play Tests again until the 1962-63 series against England in Australia, where he scored 112 and 103 in the first and second Tests at Brisbane and Melbourne.

The following Australian season he recorded his best Test score, 169 against South Africa in the first Test in Brisbane and then went on to score 102* in the final Test of the series in Sydney.

In 1964 he was appointed vice-captain as the team toured England, Pakistan and India. It was on the tour to India that he recorded his best bowling figures of 2/33, bowling off-spin in Kolkata. He scored his last Test century in 1965 against the West Indies cricket team during the Caribbean tour.

He captained Australia in the first and third Tests in 1965-66 when Simpson had broken wrist and chickenpox, drawing and losing one, but never played for Australia again. He played 29 Tests, scoring five centuries in all [3]. He continued to play for New South Wales before retiring in 1968.

After cricket

After retirement Booth resumed full-time duties as a Sydney schoolmaster.

In 2002, he returned to the public spotlight when he condemned the sledging or verbal intimidation tactics that are used in modern cricket, stating "I can't remember in the games that I played in, I can't ever remember being sledged, and I can't ever remember sledging anybody" with particular reference to the current Australian team. [4]. In the Australian edition of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack for that year, he wrote a chapter titled The Curse of Sledging.

Career highlights

Tests

Last Test: vs England, Sydney, 1965-1966

• Booth's best Test score of 169 was made against South Africa, Brisbane, 1963-1964
• His best Test bowling figures of 2 for 33 came against India, Kolkata, 1964-1965

References

• Harte, Chris (2003). The Penguin History of Australian Cricket.
• Pollard, Jack (1969). Cricket the Australian Way.
• Cricinfo Player Profile on Brian Booth
• HowSTAT! statistical profile on Brian Booth
• Australian Olympic Committee profile