WirralAn Ashes hero, one of England’s finest cricketers and an all-rounder for the ages – but did you know Sir Ian Botham was born in Heswall?
Botham lived on the Wirral until the age of three, when his family moved down to Yeovil before starting his illustrious career at Somerset.
With the 2025/26 Ashes series now underway, the current England side will be hope to channel the spirit of Botham that saw him win four series against the old enemy, including the unforgettable clash on home soil in 1981 and two Down Under.
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Widely considered one of the greatest all-rounders to represent England, how does Beefy compare with current England captain Ben Stokes.
Both men have achieved astonishing feats with bat and ball for England. However it’s worth looking how their numbers stack up in test cricket, and most significantly, how they performed in Australia when the stakes are the highest.
Botham’s bowling numbers stand far superior to that of Stokes, with the New Zealand-born Stokes having the edge in his batting figures.
However, Botham has out-performed England’s current skipper in every metric in Australia, crucially also winning two series in 1978/79 and 1986/87 down under.
Stokes has made a flying start to improving his numbers this year, with a five-wicket haul in the first innings in Perth knocking Australia to 123/9, keeping England’s hopes of taking a 1-0 series lead alive following a 172-all-out batting collapse.
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Despite his stellar career, Botham’s year-long stint as England captain saw the side fail to win in 12 tests.
Botham’s performance suffered majorly with the weight of captaincy, averaging just 14.23 and he resigned after the first test of the 1981 Ashes series.
Whilst Beefy went on to have the series of a lifetime, including an improbable 149 to lift England from the clutches of defeat at Headingley and picking up five wickets for just one run at Edgebaston, his inability to balance leadership and superstar cricketing ability leaves the baton for Stokes to surpass him.
Stokes has been captain since 2022, with his finest hour before that also coming at Headingley in 2019, producing a dramatic fightback with 135 not out to rescue England in The Ashes after a first innings of 67 all out.
Wins in Pakistan and New Zealand have been a positive, however an Ashes victory on Australian soil would be the jewel in the crown of the Stokes’ era.
Botham’s heroics in test cricket would no doubt translate to current day cricket and in particular England’s ‘Bazball’.
Finding a place alongside all-rounder Stokes and the rest of the batting line-up would certainly provide a headscratcher for head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Stokes, so to make their life easier here’s how Botham’s batting averages compared to 2025’s crop of talent.
Whilst Botham’s average’s sit below that of the modern day ‘Bazballers’, his incredible wicket taking ability as an all-rounder is exactly why the Wirral-born 69-year-old is rated as one of the best to do it in Ashes cricket.
