Ian Botham played his 100th Test match against New Zealand in Wellington in 1992

Sir Ian Botham is one of the greatest all-rounders the game has ever witnessed. His individual skills were a treasure for the English team but apart from the individual skills what stood out was his immaculate leadership. Today marks a very important milestone in his career as on this day the great all-rounder played his 100th Test against New Zealand in Wellington in 1992. 

Botham breaches the 100 Test match barrier

The English team played a 3-match Test series in New Zealand in 1992. The first couple of matches were dominated by England as the visitors took an unassailable lead going into the third and final Test of the series in Wellington. This was also the 100th match for Ian Botham and he entered the elite list of players when he stepped on the field in Wellington. 

Graham Gooch won the toss for England and opted to bat first. The experienced opener Alec Stewart shone for England with a century in the first innings. No other batter could capitalize on the start they got. The visitors ended up with 305 runs at the end of their first innings. In reply, New Zealand scored a massive 432 runs before declaring the innings. John Wright and Andrew Jones troubled the English bowlers with their phenomenal batting display. The duo smashed centuries which helped the Kiwis register a huge lead. Botham who was playing his 100th Test could only pick up one wicket in his bowling spell.

In the second innings, it was a much better batting display by England as they overcame the lead to set a tricky target for New Zealand. Allan Lamb led his team in the second innings with a century and England posted 359/7 before declaring the innings. The target for New Zealand was 233 runs but there was not enough time in the contest for either side to get a result. Ian Botham picked up a couple of early wickets in the second innings before the match ended in a stalemate.