Australia’s thirty first males’s Test captain, Brian Booth, has died aged 89.
Booth, who performed 29 Tests for Australia, scored 5 Test centuries and was a key cog in Australia’s batting all through the early a part of the Nineteen Sixties.
Such was his athleticism, he additionally represented Australia in hockey on the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
But it was in cricket the place he made his identify with 1773 Test runs at 42.21.
A classy middle-order bat, Booth made a century in his first house Test towards England in 1962, earlier than scoring one other within the subsequent match on the MCG.
He averaged 50.5 as Australia retained the Ashes at house earlier than dominating South Africa the next summer season with one other two Test tons.
The right-hander went on to submit strong returns in England in 1964 as Australia once more received the Ashes, and was handed the captaincy for 2 matches in 1965-66 with Bob Simpson out.
But on the identical time his personal batting stumbled and after the hosts had been overwhelmed closely within the second of these matches, Simpson returned to the aspect and Booth was dropped.
“Captaining Australia was a privilege,” Booth mentioned in an interview with the Cricket Monthly in 2013.
“Bobby Simpson was the regular captain and broke his arm just prior to the first Test.
“He got here again for the second Test in Melbourne and on the eve of the third, in Sydney, Sir Donald Bradman approached me at apply and mentioned, ‘Bob has hen pox, Brian. You’re captaining tomorrow’.”
Booth’s omission prompted Bradman to write to him, telling him he and his colleagues had “disliked” having to go from making him captain to out of the side in the space of three matches.
“I do not suppose he’d ever achieved that (written to a participant) earlier than,” Booth mentioned.
“But I understood why. My scores weren’t ok. I’d get to double figures in most innings solely to get out.
“At some stage I knew I’d be passed over for someone performing better. Ian Chappell and Keith Stackpole came into the side and were to have great careers.”
Booth was later elected as Life Member of the Melbourne Cricket Club, acquired an MBE from the Queen in 1982 and was inducted into the Cricket NSW Hall of Fame in 2014.
“Brian was immensely respected and admired throughout the cricketing community and beyond and we extend our deepest condolences to his wife Judy and their family and friends,” Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley mentioned.
“Less than 50 players have captained the Australian men’s Test team and Brian’s name is included on a list that features many of the game’s greats.
“He has had a rare life and shall be sadly missed. His contribution to cricket continues to be an inspiration and can all the time be remembered.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
