The cricket bat used by the former England Test cricketer, Sir Ian Botham, to drive England to victory on the fourth day of The Ashes in July 1981 is to be sold by Bonhams as part of its sale of of Sporting Memorabilia in Chester on 1 June 2011. It has attracted a pre-sale estimate of £2,000 – 2,500.
Following a disastrous three days, Botham used this bat to score 149 in a partnership with Graham Dilley and then Bob Willis. England had needed 92 to make the Australians bat again and Ladbrokes had given odds of 500 – 1 against this happening and England winning the match.
England eventually won the match by 18 runs, making it the second time in history that a team following on had won a Test match. The Wisden Cricketer rated Botham’s innings the fourth best of all time.
The lot includes a stump cut in two, hand signed by 13 players from the same series.
www.bonhams.com/sporting