An icon of the modern era who was loved by spectators and the written press for differing reasons, Ian Terence Botham seemed to save his best for England's biggest rivals.

The all-rounder at times resembled Superman on the field; Botham had the capabilities to do special things in all three aspects of the game, turning matches around with a whirlwind innings with the bat or by sending down a devastating spell with the ball.

To top it all off, he was one of the best slip fielders ever seen, catching balls out of the air with the minimum of fuss.

By the time he finally finished his stellar career he had scored over 5,000 Test runs and taken 383 wickets (he had held the world record at one stage and still is England's top wicket-taker).

However, he is best remembered for one series against Australia in particular, helping England rise from the depths of despair to win what would become known as 'Botham's Ashes'.

After resigning from the captaincy after picking up a pair in a tame draw at Lord's, a dubious honour that resulted in him being snubbed by the members as he made his way back into the pavilion, 'Beefy' became a man possessed for the rest of the summer under the leadership of Mike Brearley.

He cracked 149 to turn around what seemed a certain lost cause at Headingley (the bookies had odds of 500-1 on a home win during day three) and then took 5-1 in 28 balls at Edgbaston to deny the Aussies again.

A century at Old Trafford followed to help England clinch a remarkable 3-1 series result - it proved to be the summer that Superman saved the English.

Australia suffered on plenty more occasions against Botham, who was part of the 1986-87 side that dominated Down Under. While the bowling became much more medium, his big-hitting saw him continue in international cricket through to the 1991 World Cup when he was used as an opener.

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