Brian Booth
Encyclopedia
Brian Charles Booth is a former Australian cricketer
who played in 29 Tests
from 1961 to 1966. He captained Australia for two Tests during the 1965–66 Ashes series while regular captain Bob Simpson
was absent due to illness and injury. Booth was a graceful right-handed middle order batsman at No. 4 or 5, and occasionally bowled right arm medium pace or off spin
. He was of modest height and had an inclination to use his feet to charge spin bowlers
. Booth was also a member of the Australian field hockey
team that competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics
in Melbourne
.
Born near the New South Wales country town of Bathurst, Booth moved to Sydney in 1952 and played in the grade cricket
competition while training to become a teacher. He made his first-class debut for New South Wales
and came to prominence in dramatic circumstances in his second match, against the touring Englishmen in 1954–55. Due to late withdrawals, Booth was selected at late notice and had to be called from work on the morning of the match. After arriving after the start of the match, he scored 74 following a batting collapse. Booth struggled to make an impression early in his career and missed a season to prepare for the 1956 Olympics. Upon returning to first-class cricket in 1957–58, he held down a regular position in the state team while the Test players were touring overseas. Booth gradually progressed and gained selection on the 1959–60 Australian Second XI tour to New Zealand.
Booth was selected for the Australian team that toured 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, establishing himself in the Test team. He made two further centuries in the following summer against South Africa
and was named 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 retention of the Ashes
. Booth played his final Test series in 1965–66 against England, captaining Australia in the First and Third Tests because Simpson was sidelined with a broken wrist and chickenpox
respectively. The First Test was drawn but Australia fell to its first innings defeat in almost ten years in the Third Test. As he was also in 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 served as an Anglican lay-preacher. Booth was known for his sportsmanship on the field and often invoked Christianity while discussing ethics and sport.
. His father hung pictures of Don Bradman and Stan McCabe
on the wall and told him that "these are the two greatest living cricketers". Booth represented Bathurst High School at the age of 13 and played first grade cricket in Bathurst at 15. He was selected for a New South Wales youth country side at the age of just 14. In 1950, Booth represented New South Wales Country against a combined Sydney team, and moved to St. George to play on a weekly basis two years later. He made the first grade team at the age of 19 and began a four-year course at Sydney Teachers College
. Booth also played hockey in Perthville and began playing for St. George upon his arrival in Sydney.
Booth made his first-class debut for New South Wales
against Queensland
in the 1954–55 Sheffield Shield. He made a duck
in the first innings before adding 19 in the second. New South Wales won, but Booth was dropped when the Test players returned from international duty. Booth was recalled a month later for a match against Len Hutton
's English cricket team
at the Sydney Cricket Ground
. Arthur Morris
and Bill Watson had to withdraw at late notice and Booth was asked to play, having already started his day's work as a teacher at Hurlstone Agricultural College
. He caught a train and arrived at the ground more than half an hour after the start of play, by which time New South Wales had collapsed to 3/12. New South Wales fell further to 5/26 before Booth came in with a borrowed cap and bat to join Peter Philpott
. They put on an 83-run partnership, and Booth eventually finished the innings unbeaten on 74 as the hosts folded for 172. Booth made a duck in the second innings and took his maiden first-class wicket as New South Wales defeated Hutton's men. It was only the tourists' second loss for the campaign, and the last match in Booth's debut season.
Booth had a low key season in 1955–56, struggling to find a regular position in the New South Wales team. As there were no international matches during the summer, the Test players were available for the whole campaign. He played in six matches and had few opportunities, managing only 157 runs at 31.40, passing fifty on only one occasion. New South Wales went on to claim a hat-trick of Sheffield Shield titles.
Booth was selected for the New South Wales hockey team in 1955 and toured New Zealand in 1956 in preparation for the Olympics. Good performances on this tour led to his selection in the Australian Olympic squad for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, but he had an anxious wait following media claims that he had received out of pocket expenses for playing cricket, which would make him a professional and therefore ineligible to participate in the Olympics. Eventually, Booth and fellow first-class cricketers Ian Dick
and Maurice Foley were cleared to play for Australia.
Booth then missed the 1956–57 Sheffield Shield season because he was part of the Australian field hockey team that finished fifth at the 1956 Olympics
in Melbourne
. Booth was selected as an inside left, but was not utilised in any of Australia's matches. In his absence, New South Wales won a fourth consecutive domestic title.
In 1957–58, the Australian Test team toured South Africa during the southern hemisphere summer, opening up opportunities in the Shield competition back in Australia. Booth established himself at first-class level with 503 runs at 50.30. After scoring two fifties, he broke through for his maiden first-class century against Victoria
at the SCG, in his last match of the season. He put on a partnership of 325 with future Test team-mate Norm O'Neill
in fewer than four hours. It was his 15th first-class match, and helped his state secure a fifth successive title with a ten-wicket win over their arch-rivals. With the Test players returning to Australia in 1958–59, Booth again faced more competition for places. He struggled, playing six matches and aggregating only 190 runs at 31.66. He only had six innings for the entire season, and in his only opportunity against Peter May
's touring Englishmen, he made a duck. Booth passed 50 on two occasions during the season, making 75 and 85. In one high-scoring match against South Australia
, he took 0/97 with his part-time off spin
.
The national team toured the Indian subcontinent
during the 1959–60 Australian season, opening up more vacancies at a domestic level. Booth had a strong first-class season, scoring 718 runs at 65.27 with two centuries to place third on the run scoring aggregates. He started the season with 168 as New South Wales defeated Queensland by an innings before scoring 177 two matches later in an innings win over South Australia. His state completed a seventh Sheffield Shield triumph in succession.
Booth's performances saw him selected for a second choice Australian team that toured New Zealand
under the captaincy of Ian Craig
. He scored 105 in his first innings for his country, in a victory over Auckland. Booth scored 184 runs at 30.66 and took three wickets at 25.00 in the four international matches against New Zealand
. Booth considered retiring after the season, feeling that the time needed for first-class cricket was impinging on his work as a lay preacher and a Christian youth worker.
Booth brought himself into contention for the Test selection with a series of strong displays in 1960–61. 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 Test squad members. In a match against Tasmania
, Booth struck a breezy 100 from 104 balls in 90 minutes of batting. Another highlight was an 87 against the touring West Indies, helping New South Wales to complete an innings win. Booth's productivity helped his state to another Sheffield Shield win.
tour of England
in 1961; he and Victorian opening batsmen Bill Lawry
, the two uncapped batsmen in the team, were regarded as the last two players chosen. Booth quickly gained a reputation for his attention to physical fitness. He led the Australians in their morning exercises during the sea voyage, which captain Richie Benaud
made optional. After scoring 37 and seven against Worcestershire
in his first match on English soil, Booth broke through for his first century for Australia, scoring 113 against Cambridge University
in his fifth match in England. He made 59 against the Marylebone Cricket Club
, but was overlooked for the first three Tests.
Booth scored 127 not out against Somerset
, and in the next match against Lancashire
, he was caught behind for 99 from the bowling of another Brian Booth. He played consistently, with two more half-centuries to earn his 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 fast bowling
. The surface was tinged with green and England fielded a pace line-up that included Brian Statham
and Fred Trueman
. Booth was struck in the torso by his first ball, a bouncer
that did not rise 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, featuring in a partnership of 46—the highest in Australia's innings—with Bill Lawry
. Australia managed only 190 on the bowler-friendly pitch. Booth only managed nine in the second innings before Australia retained the Ashes after an English collapse on the final day resulted in a 54-run win. In the drawn Fifth and final Test at The Oval
, Booth came 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. Booth was dismissed for 71 while attempting to loft the spin of Tony Lock
over the infield, as captain Richie Benaud
needed quick runs; observers felt the need to attack cost Booth his maiden Test century. Booth added three more 70s in the closing tour matches before the team returned to Australia.
The 1961–62 season was entirely a domestic season. Booth scored 507 runs at 42.25 with two centuries, against Queensland and South Australia. He placed 13th on the run scoring aggregates, helping New South Wales to win its ninth consecutive Sheffield Shield.
After scoring 72 in the opening match of the season and adding 41 against the touring Englishmen for New South Wales, Booth retained his place in the Test team for the 1962–63 Ashes series. He scored his maiden Test century in the First Test at The Gabba, compiling 112 in the first innings of a high scoring draw. Thirteen innings reached fifty, but Booth was the only player to reach three figures. English captain Ted Dexter
attempted 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 on side, but Booth completed consecutive centuries with 103 in the second innings. As a result of Dexter's defensive field placings, Booth scored at only half the rate he managed in the First Test. Booth took six hours to reach triple figures and hit only four boundaries. His innings was not enough to prevent England from completing a seven-wicket victory. 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. Australia won the Third Test, drawing the series, and Booth ended the series with 404 runs at 50.50. He added a further three fifties in the Sheffield Shield as Victoria ended New South Wales' nine-year winning streak.
Booth started the 1963–64 season strongly. He scored centuries in his first two innings, recording 121 and 169 not out against Queensland and Western Australia respectively. In his rapid innings against Western Australia
at the SCG, which took only 165 minutes, Booth reached 100 in 94 minutes during the second session of the day. In the lead-up to the Tests, Booth scored 63 for his state against South Africa
but was unable to prevent defeat. In the Tests, he began the way he did in the previous season, with a century. 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
. He went on to accumulate his Test best of 169 from 81 overs of batting, in a display that gained wide praise because of his elegant strokemaking. One newspaper proclaimed that his innings had "more Grace
than the Princess of Monaco." Ray Robinson
said "it was a tailored innings, fit to be put on display in a showcase and unrumpled by a single chance". South African skipper Trevor Goddard
later said "We didn't mind the leather chasing, when he played so charmingly". Booth's innings was the highlight of a match that was uneventful in terms of cricket but notorious for the no-balling
of Ian Meckiff
. A broken finger sidelined Booth for a month and prevented him from playing in the Second Test, but he returned for the Third Test in Sydney, and began a sequence of 75, 16, 58 and 24. He finished the series in the Fifth Test in his home town, top-scoring in both of Australia's innings, with 102 not out and 87 in a draw. It capped off a productive fortnight for Booth; he had scored 162 not out against South Australia before the final Test. In four Tests, he aggregated 531 runs at 88.50. For the entire first-class season, Booth had struck five centuries and totalled 1,180 runs. According to Gideon Haigh
, he had "played exquisitely" throughout the season, which was his career peak and saw him named the Australian Cricketer of the Year for 1963–64.
for the 1964 tour of England. Along with Simpson and Lawry, Booth was one of three on-tour selectors. Some observers felt that the personable Booth would have been more popular among the playing group than Simpson, while others thought that he would not have been hard-nosed enough in pursuing his team's competitive interest. While Simpson was known for being relentlessly hard-nosed, he was also abrasive and sometimes irritated others by making derogatory comments towards teammates. Booth again ran daily fitness classes during the voyage, and on this occasion, Simpson made them compulsory for the players. Booth started the tour well, scoring 109 not out in his third match for the summer, against Surrey
. He passed 50 three more times before the start of the Tests, when his form waned.
Booth failed to pass 20 in the first six innings of the Test series. With Australia 1–0 up after three Tests, a draw in the Fourth Test was sufficient to retain the urn. Booth regained his touch with three scores beyond fifty in four innings leading up to the Fourth Test, including 132 against Middlesex
. When the teams reconvened at Old Trafford for the Fourth Test, Booth made a "courtly" 98 in a 219-run partnership with Simpson. The Australians batted for more than two days to burn off any chance of an England victory. Booth then scored 193 not out, his highest for the summer, in Australia's 7/315 declared against Yorkshire
, setting up the tourists' victory. He made 74 in the Fifth Test and ended the series with 210 runs at 42.00. Along with Simpson and Lawry, Booth was one of three Australians to accumulate more than 1,500 first-class runs for the English summer.
Three Tests against India and one against Pakistan lay ahead of Booth as the Australians visited the Indian subcontinent
on the late-1964 voyage back to Australia. He had a mediocre time, passing fifty only once, with 74 in the Second Test at Mumbai
's Brabourne Stadium
. That innings was terminated when Indian wicket-keeper KS Indrajitsinhji fumbled a stumping opportunity—the ball rolled back down the pitch. Despite breaking the stumps with his hand while the ball was not in close proximity, Indrajitsinhji's appeal was upheld. According to Haigh, "It seemed like ten men [one of the Australians was ill] were pitted against thirteen [eleven Indian players and two umpires]". Booth compiled 127 runs at 21.17 and took the only three wickets of his Test career on the spin-friendly subcontinental surfaces. He took 2/33 in the drawn Third Test in Calcutta, before capturing his final wicket in the second innings of the only Test against Pakistan in Karachi
. At the time, cricket matches in Australia and England were typically interrupted by the Sunday rest day, and Booth used these for religious observances. However, this custom was not observed on the subcontinent. Booth wanted to withdraw for personal reasons, but decided to play due to injuries and illnesses to other players. He made 57 in a Test against Pakistan in Melbourne upon arrival in Australia. It was the only home Test of the season before the hosts embarked upon a tour to the Caribbean
. Booth scored 115 for his state against the Pakistanis and ended the Australian season with 327 runs at 46.71.
Australia arrived in the West Indies in 1964–65 for five Tests against the emerging power of the 1960s, who were led by the hostile express pace bowling of Wes Hall
and Charlie Griffith
. After narrowly evading a bouncer at the start of his innings, Booth made a battling top-score of 56 in the First Test loss at Sabina Park
in Jamaica
. He then made 117 in the Second Test at Port of Spain
in Trinidad
, an innings that included a stand of 228 with Bob Cowper
, which helped Australia hang on for a draw. It was to be Booth's last Test century, an innings he regarded as his "most satisfying", having collected a series of bruises, on a ground with no sightscreen. Booth did not pass 40 in the last three Tests and ended with 234 runs at 29.25 as Australia lost 2–1, their first series loss since the 1956 Ashes series and their first series loss against a team other than England, excluding a one-off Test against Pakistan in 1956. He had particular trouble with the pace of Griffith, and on one occasion, the paceman hit him on the nose before yorking
him on the next ball; Booth maintains that he did not see the ball. Booth added two more fifties in the four first-class matches outside the Tests.
on the third morning, but centuries to Lawry and debutant Doug Walters
saw Australia declare at 6/443. Booth rotated his spinners and dismissed the tourists for 280; the match ended in a draw with England at 3/186 after being forced to follow on. When Geoff Boycott pushed a ball from leg spin
ner Peter Philpott
away with his hand, Booth refused to appeal for handled the ball
.
After the drawn Second Test, Simpson contracted chickenpox
, so Booth was again captain for the Third Test in front of his home crowd at the SCG. It was an extra burden, as Booth had made only 49 runs in the first two Tests; his team-mates felt that their captain had been too anxious following his struggles against Griffith in the Caribbean. However, there was to be no fairytale for Booth, who later admitted to being in psychological disarray; he was unaware if the rolling done on the pitch after the toss was legal, and Philpott arrived late and ran onto the field just as play was starting.
England batted first and their openers immediately seized the initiative, putting on 234 for the first wicket in four hours. The tourists made 488 and Booth scored eight as Australia replied with 221 and were forced to follow on. He made 27 in the second innings before being bowled by David Allen
as the hosts fell to an innings defeat. It was Australia's biggest defeat at home since the Fourth Test of the 1911–12 Ashes series when they lost by an innings and 225 runs. After the match, England captain Mike Smith told Booth that he expected to see him in the Fourth Test, but his Australian counterpart prophetically predicted his downfall.
With Australia 0–1 down, the selectors took drastic action and dropped Booth, Cowper, Philpott, McKenzie and David Sincock
. The revamped team won the next Test by an innings, and Booth never played for Australia again. If he had played another Test, Booth would have been eligible for the New South Wales Cricket Association
's retirement bonus of AUD50 a Test. Booth's last five Test innings had netted only 84 runs. After the match, he received a letter from Don Bradman, then a member of the selection panel and the Australian Board of Control
:
Booth ended the first-class season with 596 runs at 29.80, including four half-centuries. He continued to play for New South Wales before retiring during the 1968–69 season.
, while the national team was in South Africa
. After failing to pass 26 in his first five innings, Booth made his highest first-class score—214 not out—against Central Districts
, and was Australia's leading run-scorer for the tour. After scoring only 62 runs in the first four innings in the opening three international matches against New Zealand, Booth made 179 in the fourth and final match.
Booth was less successful in his penultimate season in 1967–68, with only 426 runs at 23.66, including two half-centuries, both against Victoria. A decision by administrators to introduce Sunday play into the Sheffield Shield ended his career, as he refused to make himself available for games that involved Sunday play. He played in only one match in his final season in 1968–69, scoring a duck and 15 as New South Wales lost to South Australia by three wickets. Booth continued to play grade cricket for the St. George club until 1976–77, leading the batting averages and aggregates in 1974–75. With 10,674 runs at 45.42, he was fifth on the all-timr run-scoring aggregates in Sydney grade competition at the time of his retirement, but had now dropped to ninth.
Booth was regarded as an elegant batsman who had an erect stance at the crease. He was known for not hitting the ball hard but for having an easy and relaxed style. In hockey, a player is not allowed to lift his stick above the shoulders; this background strengthened Booth's forearms and wrists and enabled him to impart momentum on the ball without a large swing of the blade. Booth was particularly known for his late cut and his cover drive, which he played in a manner not dissimilar to Mark Waugh
. He was known for his quick footwork against spin bowling and was rarely stumped, and he had the ability to change his batting tempo. Booth quickly got into position and typically moved onto the back foot to cover his stumps. A lean player, Booth stood 181 cm, weighed 66 kg and refrained from smoking, gambling and drinking. He was known for his efficient outfielding, and on the second day of the Second Test against the West Indies in Trinidad in 1964–65, he ran out
Gary Sobers and Basil Butcher
with strong throws from the outfield. Booth started as a part-time leg spin
ner before converting to off spin
.
Booth had a reputation for walking when he knew that he was out, without waiting for the umpire's decision, and he was regarded as a player and leader of the highest principles. He was known for his record of instilling high standards of conduct into his players and prevented them from showing dissent towards unfavourable umpiring decisions. Robinson said that "if a prize were offered for fairplaymanship among Australia's post-war cricketers Brian Booth ought to win it hands down". Lawry regarded Booth as one of the most gentlemanly cricketers that he knew.
A committed Christian
, Booth is an Anglican lay-preacher, and often invokes religious and ethical arguments while talking about issues such as sportsmanship. Booth became intensely religious in the 1950s after befriending Pastor Roy Gray, a colleague in district cricket and a classmate at Sydney Teachers College. Gray challenged his friend's faith, and Booth reflected that "Until that point, sport had really been my God". During Booth's career, the media made much of his religious convictions. After scoring his maiden Test century, Booth was asked whether he felt that God was with him. He replied in the affirmative, and the next day, a newspaper printed the headline "England can't win. God is on Brian Booth's side."
Booth co-authored Cricket and Christianity with Paul White
and wrote Hockey Fundamentals and Booth to Bat. In 1998 he wrote Sport and sportsmanship: a Christian perspective towards 2000 for the Australian Christian Forum on Education. He believed that the foundations of sport were courtesy and fairness, and he condemned the prevalence of verbal jousting in the modern game. During his career, Booth often spoke at religious functions in combination with other Christian cricketers. He appeared with the English Test opener Reverend David Sheppard
at Sydney Town Hall
and preached with Conrad Hunte
in the West Indies.
Despite Booth's views being more genteel than that of most of his team-mates, there was minimal friction or disconnect. Early in his state career, Booth declined to join a Melbourne Cup
gambling sweep organised by captain Keith Miller
. However, Miller included Booth in the event by assigning him to look after the money. Booth said "That was typical of Keith. That he was able to turn something that might have been a problem into something positive, giving me a responsibility, making me feel part of the team." He added "The boys just accepted me for what I was. If they didn't share the strength of my convictions, they were quite happy for me to hold them." Simpson said that Booth never attempted to impose his worldview on his teammates and never gave any inkling that he disapproved of their behaviour.
—the successor of the STC—for five years. In 1958, he married Judith Williams, whom he met at STC. They had two daughters, the first being born in 1961, and six grandchildren. Booth is the uncle of hammer thrower Brooke Krueger-Billett
, who represented Australia at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
.
In 1967, Booth was appointed as the founding chairman of the Youth Advisory Council, a body that sought to address community issues such as hooliganism. 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 from 1973–74 onwards. He was awarded life membership of the Marylebone Cricket Club
, the home of cricket. Booth has remained involved in grassroots cricket with St George. He has served as the club president among other positions on the executive committee, and currently serves as a coach. The pavilion at the club's home ground, Hurstville Oval, is jointly named in his honour. He is also the patron of the St George Randwick Men's Hockey Club and the St George Women's Hockey Club.
In 1974, Booth gained preselection as the Liberal
candidate for the Division of St George
, standing against Science Minister William Morrison of the ruling Australian Labor Party
in the federal election
. The seat, which had changed hands at several elections in the past, was held by Morrison for Labor, who were returned to office. In 1982, Booth was awarded a MBE
for "services to the community and sport".
In 2002, Booth returned to the public spotlight when he condemned the sledging
, or verbal intimidation tactics, that are used in modern cricket. He stated "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", in reference to Steve Waugh
's Australian team, which was perceived as being too hostile. In the Australian edition of the 2002 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
, he wrote a chapter titled The Curse of Sledging.
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
who played in 29 Tests
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
from 1961 to 1966. He captained Australia for two Tests during the 1965–66 Ashes series while regular captain Bob Simpson
Bob Simpson (cricketer)
Robert Baddeley Simpson AO is a former cricketer who played for New South Wales, Western Australia and Australia, captaining the national team from 1963–64 until 1967–68, and again in 1977–78. He later had a highly successful term as the coach of the Australian team...
was absent due to illness and injury. Booth was a graceful right-handed middle order batsman at No. 4 or 5, and occasionally bowled right arm medium pace or off spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
. He was of modest height and had an inclination to use his feet to charge spin bowlers
Spin bowling
Spin bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as spinners or spin bowlers.-Purpose:The main aim of spin bowling is to bowl the cricket ball with rapid rotation so that when it bounces on the pitch it will deviate, thus making it difficult for the...
. Booth was also a member of the Australian field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
team that competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
Born near the New South Wales country town of Bathurst, Booth moved to Sydney in 1952 and played in the grade cricket
Sydney Grade Cricket
Sydney Grade Cricket is a cricket competition played in Sydney, Australia. The competition began in 1893 when a number of clubs, which had been playing for many years on an ad hoc basis, voted to create a formal competition structure....
competition while training to become a teacher. He made his first-class debut for New South Wales
New South Wales Blues
The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
and came to prominence in dramatic circumstances in his second match, against the touring Englishmen in 1954–55. Due to late withdrawals, Booth was selected at late notice and had to be called from work on the morning of the match. After arriving after the start of the match, he scored 74 following a batting collapse. Booth struggled to make an impression early in his career and missed a season to prepare for the 1956 Olympics. Upon returning to first-class cricket in 1957–58, he held down a regular position in the state team while the Test players were touring overseas. Booth gradually progressed and gained selection on the 1959–60 Australian Second XI tour to New Zealand.
Booth was selected for the Australian team that toured 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, establishing himself in the Test team. He made two further centuries in the following summer against South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
and was named the Australian player of the year. Following the retirement of Richie Benaud
Richie Benaud
Richard "Richie" Benaud OBE is a former Australian cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game....
, Booth was appointed as the vice-captain under Simpson as Australia embarked on a successful 1964 tour of England, which saw the retention of the Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
. Booth played his final Test series in 1965–66 against England, captaining Australia in the First and Third Tests because Simpson was sidelined with a broken wrist and chickenpox
Chickenpox
Chickenpox or chicken pox is a highly contagious illness caused by primary infection with varicella zoster virus . It usually starts with vesicular skin rash mainly on the body and head rather than at the periphery and becomes itchy, raw pockmarks, which mostly heal without scarring...
respectively. The First Test was drawn but Australia fell to its first innings defeat in almost ten years in the Third Test. As he was also in 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 served 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
The son of "Snowy" Booth, a market gardener and talented country cricketer, Booth was born in Perthville, located 9 km (5.6 mi) outside the New South Wales regional town of BathurstBathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
. His father hung pictures of Don Bradman and Stan McCabe
Stan McCabe
Stanley Joseph McCabe was an Australian cricketer who played 39 Test matches for Australia from 1930 to 1938. A short, stocky right-hander,...
on the wall and told him that "these are the two greatest living cricketers". Booth represented Bathurst High School at the age of 13 and played first grade cricket in Bathurst at 15. He was selected for a New South Wales youth country side at the age of just 14. In 1950, Booth represented New South Wales Country against a combined Sydney team, and moved to St. George to play on a weekly basis two years later. He made the first grade team at the age of 19 and began a four-year course at Sydney Teachers College
Sydney Teachers College
The Sydney Teachers College was a tertiary education institution that trained school teachers in Sydney, Australia. It existed from 1906 until 1981, when it became a part of the Sydney Institute of Education which in turn joined the Faculty of Education at the University of Sydney in...
. Booth also played hockey in Perthville and began playing for St. George upon his arrival in Sydney.
Booth made his first-class debut for New South Wales
New South Wales Blues
The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
against Queensland
Queensland Bulls
The Queensland cricket team, nicknamed the Bulls, are the Brisbane-based Queensland representative cricket team in Australia's domestic cricket tournaments:*Sheffield Shield, 4-day matches with first-class status, since the 1926/27 season...
in the 1954–55 Sheffield Shield. He made a duck
Duck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
in the first innings before adding 19 in the second. New South Wales won, but Booth was dropped when the Test players returned from international duty. Booth was recalled a month later for a match against Len Hutton
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...
's English cricket team
English cricket team in Australia in 1954-55
Len Hutton captained the English cricket team in Australia in 1954–55, playing as England in the 1954-55 Ashes series against the Australians and as the MCC in their other matches on the tour. It was the first time that an England team had toured Australia under a professional captain since the 1880s...
at the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
. Arthur Morris
Arthur Morris
Arthur Robert Morris MBE is a former Australian cricketer who played 46 Test matches between 1946 and 1955. An opener, Morris is regarded as one of Australia's greatest left-handed batsmen. He is best known for his key role in Don Bradman's Invincibles side, which made an undefeated tour of...
and Bill Watson had to withdraw at late notice and Booth was asked to play, having already started his day's work as a teacher at Hurlstone Agricultural College
Hurlstone Agricultural High School
Hurlstone Agricultural High School is an agricultural and selective, co-educational, public high school, located in Glenfield, a south-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. He caught a train and arrived at the ground more than half an hour after the start of play, by which time New South Wales had collapsed to 3/12. New South Wales fell further to 5/26 before Booth came in with a borrowed cap and bat to join Peter Philpott
Peter Philpott
Peter Ian Philpott was a leg-spin bowler and middle order batsman for New South Wales and Australia in the 1960s. He made his debut in the West Indies in 1964-65 and took 18 wickets...
. They put on an 83-run partnership, and Booth eventually finished the innings unbeaten on 74 as the hosts folded for 172. Booth made a duck in the second innings and took his maiden first-class wicket as New South Wales defeated Hutton's men. It was only the tourists' second loss for the campaign, and the last match in Booth's debut season.
Booth had a low key season in 1955–56, struggling to find a regular position in the New South Wales team. As there were no international matches during the summer, the Test players were available for the whole campaign. He played in six matches and had few opportunities, managing only 157 runs at 31.40, passing fifty on only one occasion. New South Wales went on to claim a hat-trick of Sheffield Shield titles.
Booth was selected for the New South Wales hockey team in 1955 and toured New Zealand in 1956 in preparation for the Olympics. Good performances on this tour led to his selection in the Australian Olympic squad for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, but he had an anxious wait following media claims that he had received out of pocket expenses for playing cricket, which would make him a professional and therefore ineligible to participate in the Olympics. Eventually, Booth and fellow first-class cricketers Ian Dick
Ian Dick
Ian Robinson Dick is an Australian cricketer and field hockey player who played one match for Western Australia in 1950 and also captained Australia in field hockey at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne...
and Maurice Foley were cleared to play for Australia.
Booth then missed the 1956–57 Sheffield Shield season because he was part of the Australian field hockey team that finished fifth at the 1956 Olympics
Australia at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Australia was the host nation for the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. However due to Australian quarantine restrictions the equestrian events were held in Stockholm, Sweden...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. Booth was selected as an inside left, but was not utilised in any of Australia's matches. In his absence, New South Wales won a fourth consecutive domestic title.
In 1957–58, the Australian Test team toured South Africa during the southern hemisphere summer, opening up opportunities in the Shield competition back in Australia. Booth established himself at first-class level with 503 runs at 50.30. After scoring two fifties, he broke through for his maiden first-class century against Victoria
Victorian Bushrangers
The Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
at the SCG, in his last match of the season. He put on a partnership of 325 with future Test team-mate Norm O'Neill
Norm O'Neill
Norman Clifford O'Neill OAM was an cricketer who played for New South Wales and Australia. A right-handed batsman known for his back foot strokeplay, O'Neill made his state debut aged 18, before progressing to Test selection aged 21 in late 1958...
in fewer than four hours. It was his 15th first-class match, and helped his state secure a fifth successive title with a ten-wicket win over their arch-rivals. With the Test players returning to Australia in 1958–59, Booth again faced more competition for places. He struggled, playing six matches and aggregating only 190 runs at 31.66. He only had six innings for the entire season, and in his only opportunity against Peter May
Peter May
-External links:* * at Cricket Archive*...
's touring Englishmen, he made a duck. Booth passed 50 on two occasions during the season, making 75 and 85. In one high-scoring match against South Australia
Southern Redbacks
The South Australia cricket team, nicknamed the Southern Redbacks and known as the West End Redbacks due to their sponsorship agreement with local brewers West End, are an Australian first class cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia, and represent the state of South Australia...
, he took 0/97 with his part-time off spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
.
First-class consolidation
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
during the 1959–60 Australian season, opening up more vacancies at a domestic level. Booth had a strong first-class season, scoring 718 runs at 65.27 with two centuries to place third on the run scoring aggregates. He started the season with 168 as New South Wales defeated Queensland by an innings before scoring 177 two matches later in an innings win over South Australia. His state completed a seventh Sheffield Shield triumph in succession.
Booth's performances saw him selected for a second choice Australian team that toured New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
under the captaincy of Ian Craig
Ian Craig
Ian David Craig is a former Australian Test cricketer who represented Australia in 11 Tests between 1953 and 1958. A slightly built right-handed batsman, Craig holds the record for being the youngest Australian to make a first-class double century, gain Test selection and captain his country...
. He scored 105 in his first innings for his country, in a victory over Auckland. Booth scored 184 runs at 30.66 and took three wickets at 25.00 in the four international matches against New Zealand
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
. Booth considered retiring after the season, feeling that the time needed for first-class cricket was impinging on his work as a lay preacher and a Christian youth worker.
Booth brought himself into contention for the Test selection with a series of strong displays in 1960–61. 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 Test squad members. In a match against Tasmania
Tasmanian Tigers
The Tasmanian cricket team, nicknamed the Tigers, represents the Australian state of Tasmania in cricket tournaments. They compete annually in the Australian domestic senior men's cricket season, which currently consists of the first-class Sheffield Shield, the limited overs Ford Ranger Cup, and...
, Booth struck a breezy 100 from 104 balls in 90 minutes of batting. Another highlight was an 87 against the touring West Indies, helping New South Wales to complete an innings win. Booth's productivity helped his state to another Sheffield Shield win.
Test career
Booth was then selected for the AshesThe Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
tour of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1961; he and Victorian opening batsmen Bill Lawry
Bill Lawry
William Morris "Bill" Lawry, AM is a former cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. He captained Australia in 25 Tests, winning nine, losing eight and drawing eight, and led Australia in the inaugural One Day International match, played in 1971...
, the two uncapped batsmen in the team, were regarded as the last two players chosen. Booth quickly gained a reputation for his attention to physical fitness. He led the Australians in their morning exercises during the sea voyage, which captain Richie Benaud
Richie Benaud
Richard "Richie" Benaud OBE is a former Australian cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game....
made optional. After scoring 37 and seven against Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
in his first match on English soil, Booth broke through for his first century for Australia, scoring 113 against Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
in his fifth match in England. He made 59 against the Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
, but was overlooked for the first three Tests.
Booth scored 127 not out against Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
, and in the next match against Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
, he was caught behind for 99 from the bowling of another Brian Booth. He played consistently, with two more half-centuries to earn his 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 fast bowling
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
. The surface was tinged with green and England fielded a pace line-up that included Brian Statham
Brian Statham
John Brian "George" Statham, CBE was one of the leading English fast bowlers in 20th-century English cricket. Initially a bowler of a brisk fast-medium pace, Statham was able to remodel his action to generate enough speed to become genuinely fast...
and Fred Trueman
Fred Trueman
Frederick Sewards Trueman OBE was an English cricketer, generally acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers in history. A bowler of genuinely fast pace who was widely known as Fiery Fred, Trueman played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1949 until he retired in 1968...
. Booth was struck in the torso by his first ball, a bouncer
Bouncer (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a bouncer is a type of delivery, usually bowled by a fast bowler. It is pitched short so that it bounces on the pitch well short of the batsman and rears up to chest or head height as it reaches the batsman.Bouncers are used tactically to drive the batsman back on to his...
that did not rise as high as was expected. He managed to repel a spearing yorker
Yorker
Yorker is a term used in cricket that describes a ball bowled which hits the cricket pitch around the batsman's feet. When a batsman assumes a normal stance this generally means that the cricket ball bounces on the cricket pitch on or near the batsman's popping crease...
on the second ball and compiled a battling 46, the second highest score on the difficult pitch, featuring in a partnership of 46—the highest in Australia's innings—with Bill Lawry
Bill Lawry
William Morris "Bill" Lawry, AM is a former cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. He captained Australia in 25 Tests, winning nine, losing eight and drawing eight, and led Australia in the inaugural One Day International match, played in 1971...
. Australia managed only 190 on the bowler-friendly pitch. Booth only managed nine in the second innings before Australia retained the Ashes after an English collapse on the final day resulted in a 54-run win. In the drawn Fifth and final Test at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
, Booth came 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. Booth was dismissed for 71 while attempting to loft the spin of Tony Lock
Tony Lock
Graham Anthony Richard Lock was an English cricketer, who played primarily as a left-arm spinner. He played in forty nine Tests for England taking 174 wickets at 25.58 each.-Life and career:...
over the infield, as captain Richie Benaud
Richie Benaud
Richard "Richie" Benaud OBE is a former Australian cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game....
needed quick runs; observers felt the need to attack cost Booth his maiden Test century. Booth added three more 70s in the closing tour matches before the team returned to Australia.
The 1961–62 season was entirely a domestic season. Booth scored 507 runs at 42.25 with two centuries, against Queensland and South Australia. He placed 13th on the run scoring aggregates, helping New South Wales to win its ninth consecutive Sheffield Shield.
After scoring 72 in the opening match of the season and adding 41 against the touring Englishmen for New South Wales, Booth retained his place in the Test team for the 1962–63 Ashes series. He scored his maiden Test century in the First Test at The Gabba, compiling 112 in the first innings of a high scoring draw. Thirteen innings reached fifty, but Booth was the only player to reach three figures. English captain Ted Dexter
Ted Dexter
Edward Ralph Dexter CBE is a former English cricketer...
attempted to shut down Booth's scoring by employing leg theory
Leg theory
Leg theory is a bowling tactic in the sport of cricket. The term leg theory is somewhat archaic and seldom used any more, but the basic tactic still plays a part in modern cricket....
. In the Second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
, Fred Titmus
Fred Titmus
Frederick John Titmus MBE was an English cricketer, whose first-class career spanned five decades. Although he was best known for his off spin , he was an accomplished lower-order batsman who deserved to be called an all-rounder, even opening the batting for England on six occasions...
bowled outside leg stump with five men on the on side, but Booth completed consecutive centuries with 103 in the second innings. As a result of Dexter's defensive field placings, Booth scored at only half the rate he managed in the First Test. Booth took six hours to reach triple figures and hit only four boundaries. His innings was not enough to prevent England from completing a seven-wicket victory. Booth was unable to maintain his form for the rest of the season, with 34 and 77 in the Fourth Test in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
being the only other times that he passed 20. Australia won the Third Test, drawing the series, and Booth ended the series with 404 runs at 50.50. He added a further three fifties in the Sheffield Shield as Victoria ended New South Wales' nine-year winning streak.
Booth started the 1963–64 season strongly. He scored centuries in his first two innings, recording 121 and 169 not out against Queensland and Western Australia respectively. In his rapid innings against Western Australia
Western Warriors
The Western Australia cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team representing the state of Western Australia...
at the SCG, which took only 165 minutes, Booth reached 100 in 94 minutes during the second session of the day. In the lead-up to the Tests, Booth scored 63 for his state against South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
but was unable to prevent defeat. In the Tests, he began the way he did in the previous season, with a century. Coming to the crease with Australia at 3/88 in the first innings of the First Test in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Booth withstood an opening burst of bouncers from South African spearhead Peter Pollock
Peter Pollock
Peter Maclean Pollock, has played a continuing role in the South Africa cricket team as a player, selector, and father of a future captain. He was voted a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1966...
. He went on to accumulate his Test best of 169 from 81 overs of batting, in a display that gained wide praise because of his elegant strokemaking. One newspaper proclaimed that his innings had "more Grace
Grace Kelly
Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress who, in April 1956, married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, to become Princess consort of Monaco, styled as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, and commonly referred to as Princess Grace.After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of...
than the Princess of Monaco." Ray Robinson
Ray Robinson (cricket writer)
Raymond John Robinson was an Australian journalist and author, best known for his writings on the sport of cricket. Born in Melbourne, Robinson attended Brighton State school and joined the Melbourne's The Herald as a copyboy. Given a cadetship with the paper, he reported on Australian football...
said "it was a tailored innings, fit to be put on display in a showcase and unrumpled by a single chance". South African skipper Trevor Goddard
Trevor Goddard (cricketer)
Trevor Leslie Goddard is a former left-hand cricketer. An all-rounder, he played 41 Test matches for South Africa from 1955 to 1970, captaining them over the 1963-64 season and drawing an encounter with Australia. A left-handed, classically correct opening batsman, he was also a successful swing...
later said "We didn't mind the leather chasing, when he played so charmingly". Booth's innings was the highlight of a match that was uneventful in terms of cricket but notorious for the no-balling
Throwing (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, throwing, commonly referred to as chucking, is an illegal bowling action which occurs when a bowler straightens their arm when delivering the ball. The Laws of Cricket specify that a bowler's arm must be fully extended and rotated about the shoulder to impart velocity to...
of Ian Meckiff
Ian Meckiff
Ian Meckiff is a former cricketer who represented Australia in 18 Tests between 1957 and 1963...
. A broken finger sidelined Booth for a month and prevented him from playing in the Second Test, but he returned for the Third Test in Sydney, and began a sequence of 75, 16, 58 and 24. He finished the series in the Fifth Test in his home town, top-scoring in both of Australia's innings, with 102 not out and 87 in a draw. It capped off a productive fortnight for Booth; he had scored 162 not out against South Australia before the final Test. In four Tests, he aggregated 531 runs at 88.50. For the entire first-class season, Booth had struck five centuries and totalled 1,180 runs. According to Gideon Haigh
Gideon Haigh
Gideon Clifford Jeffrey Davidson Haigh is an English-born Australian journalist, who writes about sport and business. He was born in London of a Yorkshire father and an Australian mother, and was raised in Geelong, Victoria.- Career :Haigh has been writing about sport and business for over...
, he had "played exquisitely" throughout the season, which was his career peak and saw him named the Australian Cricketer of the Year for 1963–64.
Vice-captaincy
Captain Benaud retired at the end of the South Africa series—he had already relinquished the leadership after the First Test—and Booth was elevated to the vice-captaincy under Bob SimpsonBob Simpson (cricketer)
Robert Baddeley Simpson AO is a former cricketer who played for New South Wales, Western Australia and Australia, captaining the national team from 1963–64 until 1967–68, and again in 1977–78. He later had a highly successful term as the coach of the Australian team...
for the 1964 tour of England. Along with Simpson and Lawry, Booth was one of three on-tour selectors. Some observers felt that the personable Booth would have been more popular among the playing group than Simpson, while others thought that he would not have been hard-nosed enough in pursuing his team's competitive interest. While Simpson was known for being relentlessly hard-nosed, he was also abrasive and sometimes irritated others by making derogatory comments towards teammates. Booth again ran daily fitness classes during the voyage, and on this occasion, Simpson made them compulsory for the players. Booth started the tour well, scoring 109 not out in his third match for the summer, against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
. He passed 50 three more times before the start of the Tests, when his form waned.
Booth failed to pass 20 in the first six innings of the Test series. With Australia 1–0 up after three Tests, a draw in the Fourth Test was sufficient to retain the urn. Booth regained his touch with three scores beyond fifty in four innings leading up to the Fourth Test, including 132 against Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
. When the teams reconvened at Old Trafford for the Fourth Test, Booth made a "courtly" 98 in a 219-run partnership with Simpson. The Australians batted for more than two days to burn off any chance of an England victory. Booth then scored 193 not out, his highest for the summer, in Australia's 7/315 declared against Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
, setting up the tourists' victory. He made 74 in the Fifth Test and ended the series with 210 runs at 42.00. Along with Simpson and Lawry, Booth was one of three Australians to accumulate more than 1,500 first-class runs for the English summer.
Three Tests against India and one against Pakistan lay ahead of Booth as the Australians visited the Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
on the late-1964 voyage back to Australia. He had a mediocre time, passing fifty only once, with 74 in the Second Test at Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
's Brabourne Stadium
Brabourne Stadium
The Brabourne Stadium is a cricket ground in the Indian city of Mumbai. It is located on 90,000 square yards of reclaimed land along Marine Drive near Churchgate railway station in South Mumbai. The stadium is owned by the Cricket Club of India . Brabourne Stadium is India's first permanent...
. That innings was terminated when Indian wicket-keeper KS Indrajitsinhji fumbled a stumping opportunity—the ball rolled back down the pitch. Despite breaking the stumps with his hand while the ball was not in close proximity, Indrajitsinhji's appeal was upheld. According to Haigh, "It seemed like ten men [one of the Australians was ill] were pitted against thirteen [eleven Indian players and two umpires]". Booth compiled 127 runs at 21.17 and took the only three wickets of his Test career on the spin-friendly subcontinental surfaces. He took 2/33 in the drawn Third Test in Calcutta, before capturing his final wicket in the second innings of the only Test against Pakistan in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
. At the time, cricket matches in Australia and England were typically interrupted by the Sunday rest day, and Booth used these for religious observances. However, this custom was not observed on the subcontinent. Booth wanted to withdraw for personal reasons, but decided to play due to injuries and illnesses to other players. He made 57 in a Test against Pakistan in Melbourne upon arrival in Australia. It was the only home Test of the season before the hosts embarked upon a tour to the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. Booth scored 115 for his state against the Pakistanis and ended the Australian season with 327 runs at 46.71.
Australia arrived in the West Indies in 1964–65 for five Tests against the emerging power of the 1960s, who were led by the hostile express pace bowling of Wes Hall
Wes Hall
Wesley Winfield Hall is a Barbadian former cricketer and politician. A tall, strong and powerfully built man, Hall was a genuine fast bowler and despite his very long run up, he was renowned for his ability to bowl long spells. Hall played 48 Test matches for the West Indies from 1958 to 1969...
and Charlie Griffith
Charlie Griffith
Charles Christopher Griffith is a former West Indian cricketer who played in 28 Tests from 1960 to 1969. He formed a lethal fast bowling partnership with Wes Hall during the 1960s...
. After narrowly evading a bouncer at the start of his innings, Booth made a battling top-score of 56 in the First Test loss at Sabina Park
Sabina Park
Sabina Park is the home of the Kingston Cricket Club, and is the only Test cricket ground in Kingston, Jamaica and is often referred to as "The Holiday Home of Cricket"....
in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. He then made 117 in the Second Test at Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
in Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, an innings that included a stand of 228 with Bob Cowper
Bob Cowper
Robert Maskew Cowper was an Australian Test match cricketer in the 1960s, who also played for Victorian and Western Australia....
, which helped Australia hang on for a draw. It was to be Booth's last Test century, an innings he regarded as his "most satisfying", having collected a series of bruises, on a ground with no sightscreen. Booth did not pass 40 in the last three Tests and ended with 234 runs at 29.25 as Australia lost 2–1, their first series loss since the 1956 Ashes series and their first series loss against a team other than England, excluding a one-off Test against Pakistan in 1956. He had particular trouble with the pace of Griffith, and on one occasion, the paceman hit him on the nose before yorking
Yorker
Yorker is a term used in cricket that describes a ball bowled which hits the cricket pitch around the batsman's feet. When a batsman assumes a normal stance this generally means that the cricket ball bounces on the cricket pitch on or near the batsman's popping crease...
him on the next ball; Booth maintains that he did not see the ball. Booth added two more fifties in the four first-class matches outside the Tests.
Temporary captain
At the start of the 1965–66 season, Booth scored fifties in three consecutive matches, including an 80 against the MCC tourists. The 1965-66 Ashes series saw Booth captain Australia for the first time in a Test. Simpson sustained a broken wrist, leaving Booth to lead the hosts in the First Test in Brisbane. Booth prepared quietly, leaving Simpson to handle the press. He won the toss and elected to bat; fewer than two hours of play was possible on a rain-shortened first day, and the second day was entirely washed out. Booth made only 16 before being caught and bowled by Fred TitmusFred Titmus
Frederick John Titmus MBE was an English cricketer, whose first-class career spanned five decades. Although he was best known for his off spin , he was an accomplished lower-order batsman who deserved to be called an all-rounder, even opening the batting for England on six occasions...
on the third morning, but centuries to Lawry and debutant Doug Walters
Doug Walters
Kevin Douglas Walters MBE in Dungog New South Wales, known as Doug Walters, is a former Australian cricketer. He was known as an attacking batsman, and also as a typical ocker.-First-class career:...
saw Australia declare at 6/443. Booth rotated his spinners and dismissed the tourists for 280; the match ended in a draw with England at 3/186 after being forced to follow on. When Geoff Boycott pushed a ball from leg spin
Leg spin
Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in the sport of cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action, causing the ball to spin from right to left in the cricket pitch, at the point of delivery. When the ball bounces, the spin causes the ball to deviate sharply from right to left, that...
ner Peter Philpott
Peter Philpott
Peter Ian Philpott was a leg-spin bowler and middle order batsman for New South Wales and Australia in the 1960s. He made his debut in the West Indies in 1964-65 and took 18 wickets...
away with his hand, Booth refused to appeal for handled the ball
Handled the ball
Handled the ball is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket.-Definition:Law 33 of the Laws of cricket provides that:"Either batsman is out Handled the ball if he wilfully touches the ball while in play with a hand or hands not holding the bat unless he does so with the consent of the opposing...
.
After the drawn Second Test, Simpson contracted chickenpox
Chickenpox
Chickenpox or chicken pox is a highly contagious illness caused by primary infection with varicella zoster virus . It usually starts with vesicular skin rash mainly on the body and head rather than at the periphery and becomes itchy, raw pockmarks, which mostly heal without scarring...
, so Booth was again captain for the Third Test in front of his home crowd at the SCG. It was an extra burden, as Booth had made only 49 runs in the first two Tests; his team-mates felt that their captain had been too anxious following his struggles against Griffith in the Caribbean. However, there was to be no fairytale for Booth, who later admitted to being in psychological disarray; he was unaware if the rolling done on the pitch after the toss was legal, and Philpott arrived late and ran onto the field just as play was starting.
England batted first and their openers immediately seized the initiative, putting on 234 for the first wicket in four hours. The tourists made 488 and Booth scored eight as Australia replied with 221 and were forced to follow on. He made 27 in the second innings before being bowled by David Allen
David Allen (cricketer)
David Arthur Allen is a former English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire between 1953 and 1972. He also played 39 Test matches for England.-Life and career:...
as the hosts fell to an innings defeat. It was Australia's biggest defeat at home since the Fourth Test of the 1911–12 Ashes series when they lost by an innings and 225 runs. After the match, England captain Mike Smith told Booth that he expected to see him in the Fourth Test, but his Australian counterpart prophetically predicted his downfall.
With Australia 0–1 down, the selectors took drastic action and dropped Booth, Cowper, Philpott, McKenzie and David Sincock
David Sincock
David John Sincock is a former Australian cricketer who played in three Tests from 1964 to 1966....
. The revamped team won the next Test by an innings, and Booth never played for Australia again. If he had played another Test, Booth would have been eligible for the New South Wales Cricket Association
New South Wales Cricket Association
The New South Wales Cricket Association is a sporting club who administer cricket in New South Wales, based at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Their trading name is Cricket NSW....
's retirement bonus of AUD50 a Test. Booth's last five Test innings had netted only 84 runs. After the match, he received a letter from Don Bradman, then a member of the selection panel and the Australian Board of Control
Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia, formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board, is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the Australian Board of Control for International Cricket...
:
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 ended the first-class season with 596 runs at 29.80, including four half-centuries. He continued to play for New South Wales before retiring during the 1968–69 season.
Final first-class seasons
In the 1966–67 Australian season, Booth scored 638 runs at 49.07, ranking fifth in the run-scoring aggregates for the summer. He scored 149 against Queensland, and added four fifties, including two scores in the 90s. As a result, Booth was made vice-captain of an Australian Second XI that toured New Zealand under the leadership of Les FavellLes Favell
Leslie Ernest Favell was an Australian cricketer who played in 19 Tests from 1954 to 1961. He was a strong batsman who liked to hit the ball around the ground and was a much loved character...
, while the national team was in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. After failing to pass 26 in his first five innings, Booth made his highest first-class score—214 not out—against Central Districts
Central Districts Stags
The Central Districts Stags are a New Zealand first class cricket team based in central New Zealand. It competes in the State Championship first class competition and the State Shield domestic one day competition...
, and was Australia's leading run-scorer for the tour. After scoring only 62 runs in the first four innings in the opening three international matches against New Zealand, Booth made 179 in the fourth and final match.
Booth was less successful in his penultimate season in 1967–68, with only 426 runs at 23.66, including two half-centuries, both against Victoria. A decision by administrators to introduce Sunday play into the Sheffield Shield ended his career, as he refused to make himself available for games that involved Sunday play. He played in only one match in his final season in 1968–69, scoring a duck and 15 as New South Wales lost to South Australia by three wickets. Booth continued to play grade cricket for the St. George club until 1976–77, leading the batting averages and aggregates in 1974–75. With 10,674 runs at 45.42, he was fifth on the all-timr run-scoring aggregates in Sydney grade competition at the time of his retirement, but had now dropped to ninth.
Style and the place of religion in sport
Brian Booth, that model of a man and of a batsman who tends to be under-rated and forgotten because both he and his cricket were so blamelessly self-effacing. Tall, upright, correct in method, ever-patient, he repeated the hundred he had got at Brisbane, and so gave England a target to go for while all around him were failing.
- E.W. Swanton
Booth was regarded as an elegant batsman who had an erect stance at the crease. He was known for not hitting the ball hard but for having an easy and relaxed style. In hockey, a player is not allowed to lift his stick above the shoulders; this background strengthened Booth's forearms and wrists and enabled him to impart momentum on the ball without a large swing of the blade. Booth was particularly known for his late cut and his cover drive, which he played in a manner not dissimilar to Mark Waugh
Mark Waugh
Mark Edward Waugh AM is a former Australian cricketer, who represented Australia in Test matches from early 1991 to late 2002, and made his One-Day International debut in 1988. Waugh is regarded as one of the most elegant and gifted stroke makers to ever play the game. His nickname is "Junior" as...
. He was known for his quick footwork against spin bowling and was rarely stumped, and he had the ability to change his batting tempo. Booth quickly got into position and typically moved onto the back foot to cover his stumps. A lean player, Booth stood 181 cm, weighed 66 kg and refrained from smoking, gambling and drinking. He was known for his efficient outfielding, and on the second day of the Second Test against the West Indies in Trinidad in 1964–65, he ran out
Run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...
Gary Sobers and Basil Butcher
Basil Butcher
Basil Fitzherbert Butcher is a former West Indian cricketer who played in 44 Tests from 1958 to 1969. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1970....
with strong throws from the outfield. Booth started as a part-time leg spin
Leg spin
Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in the sport of cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action, causing the ball to spin from right to left in the cricket pitch, at the point of delivery. When the ball bounces, the spin causes the ball to deviate sharply from right to left, that...
ner before converting to off spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
.
Booth had a reputation for walking when he knew that he was out, without waiting for the umpire's decision, and he was regarded as a player and leader of the highest principles. He was known for his record of instilling high standards of conduct into his players and prevented them from showing dissent towards unfavourable umpiring decisions. Robinson said that "if a prize were offered for fairplaymanship among Australia's post-war cricketers Brian Booth ought to win it hands down". Lawry regarded Booth as one of the most gentlemanly cricketers that he knew.
A committed Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, Booth is an Anglican lay-preacher, and often invokes religious and ethical arguments while talking about issues such as sportsmanship. Booth became intensely religious in the 1950s after befriending Pastor Roy Gray, a colleague in district cricket and a classmate at Sydney Teachers College. Gray challenged his friend's faith, and Booth reflected that "Until that point, sport had really been my God". During Booth's career, the media made much of his religious convictions. After scoring his maiden Test century, Booth was asked whether he felt that God was with him. He replied in the affirmative, and the next day, a newspaper printed the headline "England can't win. God is on Brian Booth's side."
Booth co-authored Cricket and Christianity with Paul White
Paul White (missionary)
Paul Hamilton Hume White was an Australian missionary, evangelist, radio program host and author.-Early life and missionary work:White was born in Bowral, New South Wales...
and wrote Hockey Fundamentals and Booth to Bat. In 1998 he wrote Sport and sportsmanship: a Christian perspective towards 2000 for the Australian Christian Forum on Education. He believed that the foundations of sport were courtesy and fairness, and he condemned the prevalence of verbal jousting in the modern game. During his career, Booth often spoke at religious functions in combination with other Christian cricketers. He appeared with the English Test opener Reverend David Sheppard
David Sheppard
David Stuart Sheppard, Baron Sheppard of Liverpool was the high-profile Bishop of Liverpool in the Church of England who played cricket for Sussex and England in his youth...
at Sydney Town Hall
Sydney Town Hall
The Sydney Town Hall is a landmark sandstone building located in the heart of Sydney. It stands opposite the Queen Victoria Building and alongside St Andrew's Cathedral...
and preached with Conrad Hunte
Conrad Hunte
Sir Conrad Cleophas Hunte, KA was a Barbadian cricketer. Hunte played 44 Test matches as an opening batsman for the West Indies.-Early life and career:...
in the West Indies.
Despite Booth's views being more genteel than that of most of his team-mates, there was minimal friction or disconnect. Early in his state career, Booth declined to join a Melbourne Cup
Melbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major Thoroughbred horse race. Marketed as "the race that stops a nation", it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races...
gambling sweep organised by captain Keith Miller
Keith Miller
Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...
. However, Miller included Booth in the event by assigning him to look after the money. Booth said "That was typical of Keith. That he was able to turn something that might have been a problem into something positive, giving me a responsibility, making me feel part of the team." He added "The boys just accepted me for what I was. If they didn't share the strength of my convictions, they were quite happy for me to hold them." Simpson said that Booth never attempted to impose his worldview on his teammates and never gave any inkling that he disapproved of their behaviour.
Outside cricket
After retirement, Booth resumed full-time duties as a Sydney schoolmaster. He spent 12 years as a teacher in the government secondary schools of New South Wales before becoming an instructor in physical education at Sydney Teachers College in 1967. Before retiring in 1989, Booth served as the head of the Health and Human Movement Studies Department at the Sydney Institute of EducationSydney Institute of Education
The Sydney Institute of Education was a constituent institute of the Sydney College of Advanced Education from 1981 to 1989 at which time it was amalgamated with the University of Sydney as the Faculty of Education. Prior to 1981 the institute was the Sydney Teachers College that was founded in...
—the successor of the STC—for five years. In 1958, he married Judith Williams, whom he met at STC. They had two daughters, the first being born in 1961, and six grandchildren. Booth is the uncle of hammer thrower Brooke Krueger-Billett
Brooke Krueger-Billett
Brooke Krueger-Billett is a female hammer thrower from Australia.She finished fourth at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, won the gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and finished seventh at the 2006 IAAF World Cup...
, who represented Australia at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
.
In 1967, Booth was appointed as the founding chairman of the Youth Advisory Council, a body that sought to address community issues such as hooliganism. Booth was made a life member of the New South Wales Cricket Association
New South Wales Cricket Association
The New South Wales Cricket Association is a sporting club who administer cricket in New South Wales, based at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Their trading name is Cricket NSW....
(NSWCA) in 1974 and served as a vice-president for four years from 1973–74 onwards. He was awarded life membership of the Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
, the home of cricket. Booth has remained involved in grassroots cricket with St George. He has served as the club president among other positions on the executive committee, and currently serves as a coach. The pavilion at the club's home ground, Hurstville Oval, is jointly named in his honour. He is also the patron of the St George Randwick Men's Hockey Club and the St George Women's Hockey Club.
In 1974, Booth gained preselection as the Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
candidate for the Division of St George
Division of St George
The Division of St George was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It was located in the southern suburbs of Sydney, and covered the suburbs of Hurstville, Rockdale and Arncliffe....
, standing against Science Minister William Morrison of the ruling Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
in the federal election
Australian federal election, 1974
Federal elections were held in Australia on 18 May 1974. All 127 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 60 seats in the Senate were up for election, due to a double dissolution...
. The seat, which had changed hands at several elections in the past, was held by Morrison for Labor, who were returned to office. In 1982, Booth was awarded a MBE
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
for "services to the community and sport".
In 2002, Booth returned to the public spotlight when he condemned the sledging
Sledging (cricket)
Sledging is a term used in cricket to describe the practice whereby some players seek to gain an advantage by insulting or verbally intimidating the opposing player. The purpose is to try to weaken the opponent's concentration, thereby causing him to make mistakes or underperform...
, or verbal intimidation tactics, that are used in modern cricket. He stated "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", in reference to Steve Waugh
Steve Waugh
Stephen Rodger "Steve" Waugh, AO is a former Australian cricketer and fraternal twin of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman, he was also a successful medium-pace bowler...
's Australian team, which was perceived as being too hostile. In the Australian edition of the 2002 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
, he wrote a chapter titled The Curse of Sledging.