Botham made his England debut in 1977 and was the country's leading all-rounder almost immediately, becoming captain within three years. In his seventh match, he became the first player to score a century and take eight wickets in a test, against Pakistan at Lord's.
But Botham's captaincy, relying on a carefree approach to the game, collapsed under the pressure of leading a team and his near-permanent conflict with the conservative cricketing establishment running the game.
Botham was relieved of the captaincy in 1981 -- immediately before the "Miracle at Headingley" -- but remained in the England team until 1992, although there were some interruptions.
In 1986, he was banned after being caught smoking cannabis in New Zealand but was recalled the following summer to pass Dennis Lillee's then world record of 355 test wickets.
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