Botham happy to accent captaincy

Press, 25 February 1980, Page 17

Botham happy to accent captaincy

NZPA London The record-breaking allrounder. lan Botham, has said that he would be happy to accept the England cricket captaincy if it were offered to him. The present captain, Mike Brearley, has said that he will not be available to tour again. . . , Botham was interviewed when the England team arrived home after its losing Australian tour and a consolation win in the Jubilee Test against India at Bombay, in which Botham and wicket-keeper, Bob Taylor, set world records. Brearlev could still be chosen to" captain England in this year's Centenary Test against Australia, and the five-test home series against the West Indies, but a replacement must be found before England pay a return visit to the Caribbean at the end of the year. Asked how he viewed his captaincy prospects. Botham said: “It is the * highest honour in the game and if ■the job comes along I will take it, but I’m doing well enough as it is.” Brearley said that he did not believe Australia’s 3-0 winning margin did his team justice, “in the same way that I believe our 5-1 victory over Australia a year ago flattered us.”* “On this tour they played the better cricket, but 3-0 is a bit stark, and don’t forget we beat them four times m ■the one-damatches. “We did not bowl or field as well as in the past, though we batted reasonablv. .Mike Hendrick was missed, because the test pitches helped seam bowlers, and we were short of him and several others in the close catching positions.” Brearley also said that he did not believe Botham’s

play would be affected by the extra responsibilities of captaincy, but he would not be drawn into predicting his successor. “It will not be easy for somebody to start as captain during the tests against the West Indies, here or in the Caribbean, but then it is never particularly easy,” he said. “In some ways, I think it is even better to begin abroad.” Mr Alec Bedser, the tour manager, who has been reappointed chairman of selectors, reiterated the view of the Test and County Cricket Board that future

tours -to Australia should revert to the old style, with five or six tests and a reasonable number of state matches in between. Brearley suggested a tour of about seven weeks, starting with three four-day matches against state sides, followed by three tests and a one-day competition. A third country could participate in the one-day competition and then stay on for more matches afterwards. Brearley and Mr Bedser both opposed the idea of alternating test matches in the one series, as Australia did against the West Indies and England this season.