Arise Sir Beefy

There's not much that can be written about Ian Terrence Botham that hasn't been written elsewhere, better. Wickman particularly liked David Shower's piece in The Sunday Times. Wickman particularly remembers Headingly because it was the only time Wickman Snr ever watched cricket. He was rooooobish at the game as a lad and was about as agile as Monty Burns from The Simpsons, so never joined in the back garden games. But this time he and Mrs Wickman Snr were persuaded to come in to watch Bob "he's crap on the telly" Willis adminster the last rites. And for a moment they both got it. They both missed THAT innings though. Probably Mrs Wickman Snr was cleaning down the side of the cooker or removing the fluff from the tumble dryer filter. The Old Man was probably tampering with the oil/petrol mix in the mower. Phillistines. And that innings was phenomenal. No one had played like that in Test Cricket in Wickman's short spectating life. Wickman had never seen anyone play like that in any form of the game. And then he did it again with a spell of something like 5 for 1 to win the next test. The ball that he delivered to rid us of Terry Alderman (NOT a good bat), an inswinging yorkery thing that was unplayable and uprooted just about everything, was like someone using a ball on a yo-yo string. It was inevitable that it would skittle him. Wickman, along with thousands of other pre-pubescents, sped out into the garden and bowled for HOURS against the garage door trying to repeat it. Just one gripe. Wickman KNOWS Sir Viv called Beefy, Beefy. But as a nickname it sucks. Big time. Beefy. FFS... The guy was a collossus not a burger...