Geoffrey Boycott OBE (born 21 October 1940 in Fitzwilliam, near Wakefield, Yorkshire) is a former cricketer for Yorkshire and England. In an illustrious, but sometimes controversial career from 1962 to 1986, Boycott established himself as one of England's finest opening batsmen.[3] Noted for his ability to occupy the crease, sometimes for a number of days, Boycott made his debut in a 1964 Test match against Australia.[4][5] While less successful in One Day International matches, becoming the first ever wicket in that form of the game, Boycott went on to be a key feature of England's Test batting line up for many years. He accumulated large scores, but often encountered friction with his team mates, notably Ian Botham, Fred Trueman and Mike Brearley.[4] Ian Wooldridge commented that "Boycott, in short, walks alone".[6] Others, however, have stated that his introverted nature has been exaggerated, and that, while he was "obsessed with success", he was not a selfish player.[7] Boycott made 108 Test match appearances for England, ending his career in 1982 with over 8,000 runs and an OBE,[4][8] as well as being Wisden Cricketer of the Year for 1965, and inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2009.[9] He followed up his playing career by becoming an often outspoken and controversial cricket commentator on both radio and television. In 1998 he faced allegations of assaulting his former girlfriend, Margaret Moore, of which he was later cleared; and in 2002 he was diagnosed with throat cancer for which he underwent successful radiation treatment and went into remission. His commentating career was revived in 2003, and continues to attract both criticism and praise, now currently working on BBC 5 Live's Test Match Special.[3][8][10]
