Geoff Boycott

England|Opening Batter
Geoff Boycott
INTL CAREER: 1964 - 1982
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Full Name

Geoffrey Boycott

Born

October 21, 1940, Fitzwilliam, Yorkshire

Age

83y 150d

Also Known As

Sir Geoff Boycott

Nicknames

Fiery, Boycs, Thatch

Batting Style

Right hand Bat

Bowling Style

Right arm Medium

Playing Role

Opening Batter

Height

5ft 10in

Education

Hemsworth Grammar School

Other

Commentator

If ever a defence appeared to be impenetrable it was that of Yorkshireman Geoff Boycott when his mind was set on staying in. The features of his forward stroke were the distance he thrust forward behind a big left pad, how low his head was as he searched for signs of movement from the ball, and its balance and compactness. Add a sharp-edged thigh-pad protecting the top of his leg and there wasn't a chink of daylight to be seen. If he hadn't made himself unavailable for 30 Tests in his prime - because, it was thought he felt that he, rather than Mike Denness, should have succeeded Ray Illingworth as captain - he would surely have become the first Englishman to make 10,000 Test runs. He returned triumphantly in 1977, scoring a century in his comeback Test and another - his 100th in first-class cricket - in front of his adoring home crowd at Headingley. As opener he saw his first task as scoring heavily enough to protect his teams against defeat, and in Test cricket and the County Championship - the matches that counted in the first-class averages - he was as sparing with the attacking strokes as, in retirement, he is strident in his opinions on the game. How valuable he was to England is shown by the fact that only 20 of his 108 Tests ended in defeat, mainly when he failed. His most productive strokes, off the back foot through the covers (his speciality) and the on-drive, were majestic in their power and placement. But he was not the man to press home an advantage. A loner, and an insatiable net-player, he was short of friends inside the game; indeed there were many who heartily disliked him because of his self-centredness. But he had charm, and responded warmly to those who offered friendship. After his retirement he became a trenchant commentator and was, somewhat controversially, knighted in Prime Minister Theresa May's resignation honours in September 2019.
John Thicknesse

Geoff Boycott Career Stats

Batting & Fielding

FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAveBFSR100s50s4s6sCtSt
Tests108193238114246*47.72--2242-8330
ODIs36344108210536.06202053.561984050
FC609101416248426261*56.83--151238--2640
List A313302441009514639.12--874--990

Bowling

FormatMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
Tests1082094438273/473/4754.572.42134.8000
ODIs36616810552/142/1421.003.7533.6000
FC609-36851459454/14-32.422.3781.8-00
List A313-19751208303/153/1540.263.6665.8000
Geoffrey Boycott

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Test
ODI

Debut/Last Matches of Geoff Boycott

Recent Matches of Geoff Boycott

Photos of Geoff Boycott

Geoffrey Boycott on the outfield at Lord's
Michael Vaughan and TMS colleague Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott and Mike Brearley have a chat during Edgbaston's 50th Test
Geoffrey Boycott has no thoughts of retirement after major heart surgery
Bramall Lane was reportedly Geoff Boycott's favourite ground, and he was also part of the last first-class match there, Yorkshire v Lancashire, in 1973
Geoffrey Boycott chats with Mickey Arthur and Mark Nicholas