Brian Booth

Brian Booth

MBE

Booth in c. 1959
Personal information
Full name	Brian Charles Booth
Born	(1933-10-19)19 October 1933 Perthville, New South Wales, Australia
Died	19 May 2023(2023-05-19) (aged 89)
Nickname	Sam
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm off spin
Role	Middle-order batsman
International information
National side	Australia
Test debut (cap 221)	27 July 1961 v England
Last Test	7 January 1966 v England
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1954/55–1968/69	New South Wales
Career statistics
Competition Test FC Matches 29 183 Runs scored 1,773 11,265 Batting average 42.21 45.42 100s/50s 5/10 26/60 Top score 169 214* Balls bowled 436 2,112 Wickets 3 16 Bowling average 48.66 59.75 5 wickets in innings 0 0 10 wickets in match 0 0 Best bowling 2/33 2/29 Catches/stumpings 17/0 119/0
Source: CricketArchive, 4 March 2008

Brian Charles Booth MBE (19 October 1933 – 19 May 2023) was an Australian cricketer who played in 29 Test matches between 1961 and 1966, and 93 first-class matches for New South Wales. He captained Australia in two Tests during the 1965–66 Ashes series while regular captain Bob Simpson was absent due to illness and injury. Booth was a graceful right-handed middle order batsman at No. 4 or 5, and occasionally bowled right arm medium pace or off spin. He had an inclination to use his feet to charge spin bowlers. Booth was known for his sportsmanship on the field and often invoked Christianity while discussing ethics and sport.

Born near the New South Wales country town of Bathurst, Booth moved to Sydney in 1952 and played in the grade cricket competition while training to become a teacher. He made his first-class debut for the New South Wales cricket team and came to prominence in dramatic circumstances in his second match, against the touring Englishmen in 1954–55. Due to late withdrawals, Booth was selected at late notice and had to be called from work on the morning of the match. Arriving after the start of the match, he scored 74 following a batting collapse. Booth struggled to make an impression early in his career and missed a season to train with the Australian field hockey team for the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne. Upon returning to first-class cricket in 1957–58, he held down a regular position in the state team while the Test players were touring overseas. Booth gradually progressed and gained selection on the 1959–60 Australian Second XI tour to New Zealand.

Booth was selected for the Australian team that toured England in 1961 and played in the final two Tests. Upon his return to Australia, Booth made two centuries in the 1962–63 home Test series against England, establishing himself in the Test team. He made two further centuries the following summer against South Africa and was named the Australian player of the year. Following the retirement of Richie Benaud, Booth was appointed vice-captain under Simpson as Australia embarked on a successful 1964 tour of England, which saw the retention of the Ashes. Booth played his final Test series in 1965–66 against England, captaining Australia in the First and Third Tests because Simpson was sidelined with a broken wrist and chickenpox respectively. The First Test was drawn but Australia fell to its first innings defeat in almost ten years in the Third Test. As he was also in a form slump, Booth was dropped as the Australian selectors made mass changes, ending his career. In retirement, Booth returned to his teaching duties and served as a Baptist lay-preacher. He was inducted into the Cricket NSW Hall of Fame in 2014.