Brian Booth

Template:Infobox Historic Cricketer Brian Charles Booth (born October 19, 1933 in Bathurst, New South Wales) is a former Australian Test cricketer who played 29 Tests from 1961 to 1966. He captained Australia for two Tests during the 1965–66 season while standing in for regular captain Bob Simpson due to illness and injury. Booth was primarily a graceful right-handed middle order batsman at No. 4 or 5 who occasionally bowled right arm medium pace or off spin. Booth was of modest height and had an inclination to use his feet to attack spin bowling. Booth was also a member of the Australian field hockey team that competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.

Born in the New South Wales country town of Bathurst, Booth moved to Sydney in 1952 and played in the grade cricket competition while he trained to become a teacher. He made his first-class debut for New South Wales in dramatic circumstances against the touring Englishmen in 1954–55, being drafted in as an emergency after the start of the match. Booth struggled to make an impression early in his career and took 1956 away from cricket to prepare for the 1956 Olympics in hockey. Upon returning to first-class cricket in 1957–58, he was able to hold down a regular position in the state team while the Test players were on overseas duty. Booth gradually progressed and gained selection on the 1959–60 Australian Second XI tour to New Zealand.

He was selected for the Australian team to tour England in 1961 and played in the final two Tests. Upon his return to Australia, Booth made two centuries in the 1962–63 home Test series against England to establish himself in the Australian team. He made two further centuries in the following summer against South Africa and was named as the Australian player of the year. Following the retirement of Richie Benaud, Booth was appointed as the vice-captain under Simpson as Australia embarked on a successful 1964 tour of England which saw the successful defense of the Ashes. Booth played his final Test series in 1965–66 against England, captaining Australia in the First and Third Tests as Simpson was sidelines with a broken wrist and chickenpox respectively. The First Test was drawn but the Third saw Australia fall to its first innings defeat in almost ten years. Coupled with a form slump, Booth was dropped as the Australian selectors made mass changes, ending his career. In retirement, Booth returned to his teaching duties and also worked as an Anglican lay-preacher. Booth was known for his sportsmanship on the field and often invoked Christianity while discussing ethics and sport.

Early years

Booth represented Bathurst High School at the age of 13 and at 15 and played first grade cricket in Bathurst. He was selected to 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 the first grade team at the age of 19 and studied at Sydney Teachers' College.

He made his first-class debut for New South Wales Blues in the 1954–55 season against the touring England cricket team of Len Hutton in a tour match at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Arthur Morris and Bill Watson had to withdraw at late notice and Booth received an emergency call-up while on teaching duties at school. He arrived at the ground more than half an hour after the start of play and came in after an early collapse with the score at 3/12. New South Wales fell further to 5/26 before Booth and Peter Philpott put on an 83 run partnership. Booth eventually finished the innings unbeaten on 74. He played in only one other match in his debut season.

Booth had a low key season in 1955–56, struggling to find a regular position in the New South Wales team. He played in six matches and managed only 157 runs at 31.40, passing fifty on only one occasion. Booth then missed the 1956–57 Sheffield Shield season when he was part of the Australian field hockey team which finished fifth in the 1956 Olympics. Booth was an inside left, although he was not utilised in any of Australia's matches.

In 1957–58, the Australian Test team toured South Africa during the southern hemisphere summer, opening opportunities in the Shield competition beack in Australia. Booth established himself at first-class level with 503 runs at 50.30, scoring his maiden first-class century against Victoria at the SCG. He put on triple century partnership of 325 with future Test team-mate Norm O'Neill in less than four hours. It was his 15th first-class match. With the Test players returning in 1958–59, Booth again struggled, playing six matches and aggregating only 190 runs at 31.66.

Test career

Brian Booth's Test career batting performance.

In 1959–60, Booth had a strong first-class season, scoring 718 runs at 65.27 for the season with two centuries, placing third on the run scoring lists. This saw him selected for a second choice Australian cricket team that toured New Zealand under Ian Craig. Booth brought himself into contention for the Test selection with a strong season in the 1960–61 Australian season. He aggregated 981 runs at an average of 65.40 with three centuries. Only five players scored more runs, all at lower averages. Two of the centuries were in combined Australian XI matches at the end of the season for expected Australian squad members. He was then selected for The Ashes tour of England in 1961, playing consistently to earn his Test debut in the Fourth Test at Old Trafford in place of Colin McDonald. The series was evenly poised at 1–1 and Australia batted first on a pitch that initially assisted pace bowling with a green tinged surface with England fielding a pace lineup including Brian Statham and Fred Trueman. Booth was struck in the torso on his first ball after a bouncer did not bounce as high as was expected. He managed to repel a spearing yorker on the second ball and compiled a battling 46, the second highest score on the difficult pitch after a partnership with centurion Bill Lawry. He only managed nine in the second innings before Australia retained the Ashes after an English collapse on the final day. Booth finished his tour in the drawn Fifth and final Test at The Oval, coming in with the score at 4/211 after the dismissal of O'Neill for 117. He featured in a 185 run partnership with Peter Burge, finishing with 71. Booth was dismissed attempting to life the run rate when captain Richie Benaud need quick runs, something that observers felt cost him his maiden Test century.

The 1961–62 season was a purely domestic season. Booth scored 507 runs at 42.25 with two centuries, placing 13th on the run scoring aggregates as he helped New South Wales to win its ninth consecutive Sheffield Shield.

Booth retained his place in the Test team when England returned in 1962–63 for another Ashes battle. He made his maiden Test century in the First Test at the Gabba, compiling 112 in the first innings in a high scoring draw. Thriteen innings reached fifty, but Booth was the only player to reach three figures. English captain Ted Dexter decided to shut down Booth's scoring by employing leg theory. In the Second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Fred Titmus bowled outside leg stump with five men on the leg side, but Booth complete consecutive centuries with 103 in the second innings. Booth was unable to maintain his form for the rest of the season, with 34 and 77 in the Fourth Test in Adelaide being the only other times that he passed 20. He ended the series with 404 runs at 505.

Booth started the 1962–63 season against South Africa the way he began the previous season. Coming to the crease with Australia at 3/88 in the first innings of the First Test in Brisbane, Booth withstood an opening burst of bouncers from South African spearhead Peter Pollock. Booth went on to accumulate his Test best of 169, an innings that gained wide praise from for his elegant strokemaking. One newspaper proclaimed that his innings had "more Grace than the Princess of Monaco." South African skipper Trevor Goddard later said "We didn't mind the leather chasing, when he played so charmingly. A broken finger stopped Booth from playing in the Second Test, but he returned in the Third Test In Sydney, and began a sequence of 75, 16, 58 and 24. He finished the series in his home town in the Fifth Test, top scoring in both of Australia's innings, with 102 not out and 87. In four Tests, be had aggregated 531 runs at 88.5. For the entire first-class season, he had struck five centuries and totalled 1180 runs. It was his career peak and saw him awarded the Australian Cricketer of the Year for 1963–64.

Captain Benaud retired at the end of the South Africa series, and Booth was elevated to the vice-captaincy of Australia behind Bob Simpson for the 1964 tour of England. He struggled initially, failing to pass 20 in the first six Test innings of the series. With Australia 1–0 up after three Tests, a draw in the Fourth Test was sufficient to retain the urn. Booth made 98 in a 219 run partnership with Simpson as the Australians batted for more than two days to burn off any chance of an England victory. He made 74 in the Fifth Test and ended the series with 210 runs at 42.

Three Tests against India and one against Pakistan lay ahead of Booth as the Australians visited the Indian subcontinent on the voyage back to Australia in 1964–65. He had a mediocre time, passing fifty only once, a 74 at Mumbai's Brabourne Stadium in the Second Test. He compiled 127 runs at 21.17 and took the only three wickets of his Test career on the spin friendly surfaces. He took 2/33 in the drawn Third Test in Calcutta, before capturing one more in the second innings of the only Test against Pakistan in Karachi. The made 57 in a Test against Pakistna in Melbourne upon arrival in Australia, the only home Test of the season before a tour to the Carribean.

Australia arrived in the West Indies in 1964–65 for five Tests against the emerging power of 1960s international cricket, led by the hostile express pace bowling of Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith. He made a battling 56 in the First Test loss at Sabina Park in Jamaica, before a 117 in Port of Spain in Trinidad including a stand of 222 with Bob Cowper saw Australia hang on for a draw. It was to be his last Test century, an innings be regarded as his "most satisfying". Booth did not pass 40 again in the series and ended with 234 runs at 29.25 as Australia lost 2–1, their first series loss since the 1956 Ashes series.

Temporary captain

Booth stood in as captain for Bob Simpson (pictured) when Simpson was ill and injured.

The start of the 1965–66 home Ashes series against England saw Booth captain Australia for the first time in a Test match. Simpson sustained a broken wrist, leaving Booth to lead the Australians in the First Test in Brisbane. He had a quiet prepartion, with Simpson continuing to handle the press. Booth won the toss and elected to bat, with less than two hours of play possible on a rain shortened first day before the second day was entirely washed out. Booth made only 16 before being caught and bowled by Fred Titmus on the third morning, but centuries to Lawry and debutant Doug Walters saw him declare Australia's innings at 6/443. Booth rotated his spinners and saw England bowled out for 280, before the match ended in a draw with England at 3/186 after being forced to follow on.

After the Second Test was drawn, Simpson contracted chickenpox, and Booth was again captain in the Third Test in front of his home crowd at the SCG. However, there was to be no fairytale, as Australia were forced to follow on and then fell to an innings defeat. It was the first time Australia had lost by an innings since the Fourth Test in 1956 against England at Old Trafford – Laker's Test. With Australia 0–1 down, the selectors took drastic action and dropped Booth, Cowper, Philpott and David Sincock. The revamped team won the next match by an innings and Booth never played for Australia again. His last five innings had netted only 84 runs. After the match, he received a letter fromDon Bradman, then a member of the selection panel:

Never before have I written to a player to express my regret at his omission from the Australian XI. In your case I am making an exception because I want you to know how much my colleagues and I disliked having to make this move.
Captain one match and out of the side the next looks like ingratitude, but you understand the circumstances and will be the first to admit that your form has not been good.

Booth continued to play for New South Wales before retiring during the 1968–69 season. In 1966–67 season, he scored 638 runs at 49.07, ranking him fifth in the run scoring aggregates for the Australian first-class season, which saw him made vice-captain to Les Favell of an Australian Second XI that toured New Zealand. During the tour, Booth made his highest first-class score, a 214 against Northern Districts. His penultimate season in 1967–68 was less successful, with only 426 runs at 23.66. A decision by administrators to introduce Sunday play into the Sheffield Shield ended his career. He played in only one match in his final season, scoring 15 and a duck. He continued to play grade cricket for the St. George club until 1976–77, leading the batting averages and aggregates in 1974–75. As of 1997, he was one only ten batmsen to have exceeded 10,00 runs in Sydney grade competition.

Style

Booth was regarded as an elegant batsman, who had a erect stance at the batting crease. He was known for not hitting the ball hard but for his easy and relaxed style. He was particularly known for his late cut and his cover drive, in a manner not dissimilar to Mark Waugh. He was known for his quick feetwork to the spinners and was rarely stumped, and had the ability to change his batting tempo. Booth was a lean player, standing 181 cm and weighing 66 kg who refrained from smoking and drinking. He was known for his efficient outfielding, and on the second day of the Second Test against the West Indies in Trinidad, he ran out Gary Sobers and Basil Butcher with strong throws from the outfield. He started as a part-time leg spin bowler but later converted to bowling slow-medium paced off spin.

Booth is a committed Christian and Anglican lay-preacher. He co-authored Cricket and Christianity with Paul White and wrote Hockey Fundamentals, Booth to Bat and Cricket and Christianity. He often invokes Christianity and ethical points while talking about issues such as sportsmanship. Booth believed that the foundations of sport were courtesy and fairness and condemned the verbal jousting prevalent in the modern game. Booth was one of the last players to walk when he knew that he was out, without waiting the umpire's decision and was regarded as a player and leader of the highest principles.

Outside cricket

Booth strongly criticised the sledging tactics used by the Australian team led by Steve Waugh (pictured)

After retirement Booth resumed full-time duties as a Sydney schoolmaster. He had been a teacher in the secondary schools of New South Wales for 12 years before becoming an instructor in physical education to other trainee teachers at Sydney Teachers' College in 1967. Before retiring in 1989, he served for five years as the head of the Health and Human Movement Studies Department at the Sydney Institute of Education, the successor of the STC. In 1958, he married Judith Williams, whom me met at Sydeny Teachers' College. Their first daughter was born in 1961. Booth is the uncle of hammer thrower Brooke Krueger-Billett.

Booth was made a life member of the New South Wales Cricket Association (NSWCA) in 1974 and served as a vice-president for four years starting in 1973–74. He was awarded life membership of the Marylebone Cricket Club, the home of cricket. In 1974, he was preselected as the Liberal candidate for the federal election in the Division of St. George. He was unsuccessful as the ruling Australian Labor Party was returned to office. In 1982, Booth was awarded a MBE for "services to the community and sport".

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. In the Australian edition of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack for that year, he wrote a chapter titled The Curse of Sledging.

References

• Perry, Roland (2000). Captain Australia. Random House Australia. ISBN 1-74051-093-3.