Botham’s Century: My 100 great cricketing characters

One hundred colourful portraits of the cricketing characters whom Ian Botham has come across in his eventful career and who have influenced the game for good in his time: from top players, umpires and coaches to pop stars, writers and philanthropists.Among the cast of characters who will feature in Botham’s own Who’s Who of cricket will be top players such as Viv Richards, Brian Close and Shane Warne.Umpire Dickie Bird and the late John Arlott will also have a place in Beefy’s Hall of Fame. Others associated with cricket include Mick Jagger, Sir Paul Getty and Nancy (who used to cook the lunches at Lord’s and was responsible for many a cricketer’s expanding waistline); an…