Editing Ian Botham (section)

===Durham and England (1991–92 to 1993)===
Botham's final tour was to Australia and New Zealand in 1991–92.  In the tour of NZ, he played in only the last Test, and the one-day series: his most notable contribution was his highest ODI score of 79, opening the batting, in which he seemed to be set fair to finally reach a century in an ODI, but NZ managed to keep him away from the strike for several overs, he ran out of patience, slogged a delivery straight up in the air and was caught. After this came the [[1992 Cricket World Cup|World Cup]] in Australia. Botham had not previously won any man of the match awards in the World Cup, but in this competition he won two. Against [[India national cricket team|India]] at the [[WACA Ground]], he bowled tightly and restricted India, needing 237, to only 27 runs from his ten overs, an economy rate of 2.70 which was significantly lower than anyone else's. He captured two wickets and one of them was [[Sachin Tendulkar]]. England won by nine runs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/55/55534.html |title=England v India (World Cup), 1992 |publisher=CricketArchive |access-date=6 May 2017 |archive-date=23 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023043002/http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/55/55534.html |url-status=live }}</ref> 

Against [[Australia national cricket team|Australia]] at [[Sydney Cricket Ground]] later in the competition, Botham won the award for the sort of all-round performance which had made his reputation. Australia won the toss and decided to bat first. They scored 171 all out in 49 overs and Botham took four for 31 in his ten. He then opened the England innings with [[Graham Gooch]] – the tactic England had trialled in Australia five years before, and again in the ODIs against NZ at the end of the tour before the World Cup – and scored 53 from only 77 balls in a partnership with Gooch of 107. England went on to win by eight wickets with nine overs to spare.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/55/55567.html |title=England v Australia (World Cup), 1992 |publisher=CricketArchive |access-date=6 May 2017 |archive-date=22 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022101409/http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/55/55567.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He was less successful in the final, where previously economical bowling figures were ruined by a late assault from the Pakistani batting line-up, and then he was given out caught-behind for a duck (perhaps unfortunately,{{according to whom|date=January 2024}} since he appeared not to have touched the ball according to the camera replays) in Wasim Akram's first over, England losing the match.

In 1992, Botham joined County Championship newcomers [[Durham County Cricket Club|Durham]], scoring a century in the second innings in their inaugural first-class match against Leicestershire: and he played in the first two Tests against Pakistan, the second one at Lord's being his final Test appearance.<ref name=ITBTests/> Botham scored 2 and 6, cheaply dismissed each time by the pace of [[Waqar Younis]]. As a bowler, he was used for only five overs in the first innings, his final Test return being none for nine: he did not bowl in Pakistan's second innings, due to a foot injury sustained while batting, although he fielded at slip. England lost the match by two wickets and Pakistan went on to win the series 2–1.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/55/55992.html |title=England v Pakistan, Second Test, 1992 |publisher=CricketArchive |access-date=10 May 2017 |archive-date=4 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104065602/http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/55/55992.html |url-status=live }}</ref> 

Botham did however play in the ODI series, in all five matches, which England won 4–1: these were his last international matches. England's batting was so dominant in all but one of the matches, that Botham only came in right at the end of the innings, or not at all, reverting to his old place in the middle order, and he had little to do: except in the 4th match, where he opened the batting again (in Gooch's absence) and scored a respectable and workmanlike 40, but saw England lose their last four wickets for ten runs and the match by three runs. His bowling was similarly unremarkable, usually capturing one or two wickets at about four an over: he neither scored a run (did not bat) nor took a wicket (0–43) in his final match.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ENG vs PAK Cricket Scorecard, 5th ODI at Manchester, August 24, 1992 |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/pakistan-tour-of-england-1992-61462/england-vs-pakistan-5th-odi-65007/full-scorecard |access-date=2024-06-09 |website=ESPNcricinfo |language=en}}</ref>

In 1992 Botham was appointed an [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) for services to cricket and for his charity work in the [[Queen's Birthday Honours]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=52952 |supp=y |page=9 |date=12 June 1992 }}</ref>

Botham retired from cricket midway through the 1993 season, his last match being for Durham against the visiting Australians at [[The Racecourse]] 17–19 July 1993. Durham batted first and scored 385 for eight declared ([[Wayne Larkins]] 151). In his final first-class innings, Botham scored 32. In reply, Australia could only make 221, due to [[Simon Brown (cricketer)|Simon Brown]] who took seven for 70 (Botham none for 21). Being 164 behind, Australia had to follow on and a victory for Durham was possible but centuries by [[Matthew Hayden]] and [[David Boon]] saved Australia and the match was drawn. Botham's final bowling return was none for 45 from eleven overs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/57/57576.html |title=Durham v Australians, 1993 |publisher=CricketArchive |access-date=10 May 2017 |archive-date=23 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023022036/http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/57/57576.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In the final over of the game, Botham also [[wicket-keeper|kept wicket]], without wearing gloves or pads.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/149642.html |title=A rare old day |date=19 July 2005 |publisher=ESPNcricinfo |access-date=19 July 2017 |archive-date=19 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719050918/http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/149642.html |url-status=live }}</ref>