Editing Ian Botham (section)

===Worcestershire and England (1987 to 1991)===
After his resignation from Somerset, Botham joined [[Worcestershire County Cricket Club|Worcestershire]] for the 1987 season and spent five seasons with them. In 1987, he scored 126* against his old county but otherwise he was more successful as a limited overs batsman, scoring two centuries and averaging 40.94. His bowling too was much better in the shorter form, wherein he averaged 21.29 against 42.04 in first-class. His limited overs efforts helped Worcestershire to win the Sunday League. They finished ninth in the County Championship and were unsuccessful in the two knockout trophies. Worcestershire, taking a leaf from England's winter tactic, sometimes used Botham to open the batting in one-day matches, in partnership with regular opener Tim Curtis.

Botham played in the five 1987 Tests against Pakistan, the last time he represented England in a full series.<ref name=ITBTests/> He scored 232 runs in the series with one half-century (51*) at 33.14; and took only seven wickets which were enormously expensive. Pakistan won by an innings at Headingley with the other four Tests drawn, although England were in superior positions in the First and Fourth tests which lost much time to rain, and only narrowly failed to level the series in the Fourth, running out of overs chasing a small target.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/153090.html |title=Pakistan in England, 1987 |publisher=WisdenOnline |access-date=10 May 2017 |archive-date=18 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118113218/http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/153090.html |url-status=live }}</ref> When Pakistan totalled 708 at The Oval, the 217 runs conceded by Botham, from 52 overs, were the most by an England bowler, passing the 204 by [[Ian Peebles]], from 71 overs, against Australia at The Oval in 1930, although he took three wickets and also ran out Imran Khan.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/151988.html |title=England v Pakistan, Fifth Test, 1987 |publisher=WisdenOnline |access-date=10 May 2017 |archive-date=20 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620133509/http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/151988.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The half-century, his final and by far his slowest Test fifty, was a dogged, defensive effort occupying most of the last day in a drawn match, in an unbroken partnership with Gatting (150*) to save the 5th test and keep England's margin of defeat at 1–0. He declined to go on tour with England the following winter, either for the 1987 World Cup in India and Pakistan (in which England reached the final) or for the subsequent tours of Pakistan (lost 1–0) and New Zealand (a rain-ruined 0–0 drawn series).

Botham spent the 1987–88 Australian season with [[Queensland cricket team|Queensland]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article122114349|title=I'm the best: Botham|date=11 November 1987|work=Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995)|access-date=17 April 2020|pages=40|archive-date=26 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526213317/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/122114349|url-status=live}}</ref> playing for them in the [[Sheffield Shield]]. Queensland were one of the better state teams in the 1980s and were always in the Shield's top three from the 1983–84 season through to the 1990–91 season, but didn't win it. In Botham's season there, his teammates including Allan Border (captain), [[wicketkeeper]] [[Ian Healy]] and pace bowler [[Craig McDermott]], they finished second to [[Western Australia cricket team|Western Australia]]. Botham scored several half-centuries and took a reasonable number of wickets and helped Queensland make the Sheffield Shield final. Botham and [[Dennis Lillee]] were fined for damaging the Queensland dressing room in [[Launceston, Tasmania]] during a one-day match.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv9a_zcsvxg|title=Ian Botham in trouble in Australia 1988|via=www.youtube.com}}</ref> When the Queensland team flew to Perth for the Shield final, Botham was involved in an altercation where he allegedly assaulted a fellow airline passenger who had intervened in an argument between the Queensland players.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,1404052,00.html |title=The officer gave me a bat to sign, then he charged me with assault |work=The Observer |location=UK |date=2 February 2005 |access-date=28 August 2009 |archive-date=8 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090808173938/http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,1404052,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article101982781 |title=Botham in trouble over Perth flight |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=62 |issue=19,156 |date=17 March 1988 |access-date=14 October 2017 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia |archive-date=26 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526213317/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/101982781 |url-status=live }}</ref> Queensland lost the final.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article101984069 |title=TIMES Sport |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=62 |issue=19,162 |date=23 March 1988 |access-date=14 October 2017 |page=40 |via=National Library of Australia |archive-date=26 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526213318/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/101984069 |url-status=live }}</ref> Botham was fined $800 by a magistrate<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article101984498 |title=Botham incident 'a tragedy' |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=62 |issue=19,164 |date=25 March 1988 |access-date=14 October 2017 |page=16 |via=National Library of Australia |archive-date=26 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526213321/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/101984498 |url-status=live }}</ref> and $5,000 by the Australian Cricket Board.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article101985211 |title=Cricket board fines Botham $5000 |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=62 |issue=19,168 |date=29 March 1988 |access-date=14 October 2017 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia |archive-date=26 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526213320/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/101985211 |url-status=live }}</ref> He was consequently sacked by Queensland.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article101985488 |title=Q'land ends Botham's contract |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=62 |issue=19,169 |date=30 March 1988 |access-date=14 October 2017 |page=38 |via=National Library of Australia |archive-date=26 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526213320/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/101985488 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Botham was unfit for most of the 1988 season and played in only four first-class and seven limited overs matches during April and May. He did not play for England. Nevertheless, Worcestershire won both the County Championship and the Sunday League. Botham was out of action for eleven months, having had an operation to fuse vertebrae in his spine in response to a long-standing back problem.

He returned in May 1989 and, bowling well in the County Championship, helped Worcestershire to a second successive title. With England struggling against Allan Border's rebuilt Australian team which featured the likes of Healy, McDermott, [[Steve Waugh]], [[Merv Hughes]] and [[Mark Taylor (cricketer)|Mark Taylor]], Botham was recalled for the third, fourth and fifth Tests of the pivotal Ashes 1989 series. He could do little to stem a tide which had now turned completely in Australia's favour and looked completely out of his depth. He scored only 62 runs at the very low average of 15.50 – two-thirds of them in one innings – and took just three wickets at an enormously expensive 80.33.<ref name=CAbatT>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1529/t_Batting_by_Season.html |title=Test Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Ian Botham |publisher=CricketArchive |access-date=10 May 2017 |archive-date=1 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201031911/http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1529/t_Batting_by_Season.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=CAbowlT>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1529/t_Bowling_by_Season.html |title=Test Bowling in Each Season by Ian Botham |publisher=CricketArchive |access-date=10 May 2017 |archive-date=1 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201035923/http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1529/t_Bowling_by_Season.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The summer of 1989 saw more controversy for England with the organisation of a rebel tour to South Africa, all participants being banned for three years: Botham declined the rebel tour, hoping to be selected for the winter tour of the West Indies, only to be dropped for his poor form.

Another two-year absence from international cricket ensued until he was recalled again to play against West Indies in 1991, on the strength of belting 161* for Worcestershire against them in their early-season tour match against the county – it was to be his only century ever against the West Indies. He was selected for the early-season ODI series at first: he took a wicket in his first over, and four in his ten-over spell, but later tore a hamstring, going for a quick single while batting. He could have retired hurt, but opted to continue with a runner, only to be dismissed by the next delivery. The injury put him out of the remaining ODIs (both won by England) and the first couple of Tests (which England won and drew to lead 1–0): then, on his comeback in a county match, another injury caused him to be unavailable for the 3rd and 4th Tests (both lost by England). 

He was recalled for the 5th Test with England needing a victory to tie the series: batting in the first innings, he scored a respectable 31 before attempting to hook Curtly Ambrose and being dismissed "[[hit wicket]]", in circumstances which caused an infamous giggling fit in the BBC ''[[Test Match Special]]'' radio commentary box. Used sparingly with the ball, he took 1/27 and 2/40 as West Indies were bowled out, forced to follow on and bowled out again, by Tufnell (6/25) and Lawrence (5/106) in the first and second innings respectively. His only Test victory against the Windies was completed when he himself hit the winning runs – a boundary off his first delivery – as England chased a target of 143 with five wickets to spare, and tied the series. Two weeks later, he played against Sri Lanka at Lord's, achieving little of note. He helped Worcestershire to win the B&H Cup for the only time in 1991.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}