Editing Brian Booth (section)

{{short description|Australian cricketer and field hockey player (1933–2023)}}
{{About||the English county cricketer|Brian Booth (cricketer, born 1935)|the cricketer who played for Tasmania|Brian Booth (Tasmanian cricketer)}}
{{featured article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2012}}
{{Infobox cricketer
| name = Brian Booth
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%|MBE}}
| image = BrianBooth.jpg
| caption = Booth in {{circa|1959}}
| country = Australia
| fullname = Brian Charles Booth
| nickname = Sam
| birth_date = {{birth date|1933|10|19|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Perthville]], New South Wales, Australia
| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|5|19|1933|10|19|df=y}}
| death_place = 
| heightm = 1.81
|             batting = Right-handed
|             bowling = Right-arm [[off spin]]
|                role = [[Batting order (cricket)|Middle-order batsman]]
|       international = true
|       testdebutdate = 27 July
|       testdebutyear = 1961
|    testdebutagainst = England
|             testcap = 221
|        lasttestdate = 7 January
|        lasttestyear = 1966
|     lasttestagainst = England
|               club1 = [[New South Wales cricket team|New South Wales]]
|               year1 = {{nowrap|1954/55–1968/69}}
|             columns = 2
|             column1 = [[Test cricket|Test]]
|            matches1 = 29
|               runs1 = 1,773
|            bat avg1 = 42.21
|           100s/50s1 = 5/10
|          top score1 = 169
|         deliveries1 = 436
|            wickets1 = 3
|           bowl avg1 = 48.66
|            fivefor1 = 0
|             tenfor1 = 0
|       best bowling1 = 2/33
|  catches/stumpings1 = 17/0
|             column2 = [[First-class cricket|FC]]
|            matches2 = 183
|               runs2 = 11,265
|            bat avg2 = 45.42
|           100s/50s2 = 26/60
|          top score2 = 214[[not out|*]]
|         deliveries2 = 2,112
|            wickets2 = 16
|           bowl avg2 = 59.75
|            fivefor2 = 0
|             tenfor2 = 0
|       best bowling2 = 2/29
|  catches/stumpings2 = 119/0
|                date = 4 March
|                year = 2008
|              source = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1153/1153.html CricketArchive
}}

'''Brian Charles Booth''' {{post-nominals|country=AUS|MBE}} (19 October 1933 – 19 May 2023) was an Australian cricketer who played in 29 [[Test cricket|Test matches]] between 1961 and 1966, and 93 [[First-class cricket|first-class]] matches for New South Wales. He captained [[Australian cricket team|Australia]] in two Tests during the 1965–66 [[The Ashes|Ashes]] series while regular captain [[Bob Simpson (cricketer)|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 [[pace bowling|medium pace]] or [[off spin]]. He had an inclination to use his feet to charge [[spin bowling|spin bowlers]]. Booth was known for his [[sportsmanship]] on the field and often invoked [[Sydney Anglicans|Christianity]] while discussing ethics and sport.

Born near the [[New South Wales]] country town of [[Bathurst, New South Wales|Bathurst]], Booth moved to [[Sydney]] in 1952 and played in the [[Sydney Grade Cricket|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 [[England cricket team|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 Summer Olympics|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 [[century (cricket)|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 African cricket team|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.