In 1965, on the tour of the Caribbean, Booth scored a century against high-quality pacers such as Charlie Griffith and Wes Hall, and shared a 220-run stand with Bob Cowper (143) for the third wicket in a drawn match in Trinidad. He had mentioned in the same interview that “Charlie Griffith and Wes Hall were the fastest pair I faced. They were always pretty fiery and they let us have it in ’65 in the West Indies.” He went on to add that to make a hundred against West Indies “gave me immense satisfaction.”
“Brian was immensely respected and admired throughout the cricketing community and beyond and we extend our deepest condolences to his wife Judy and their family and friends,” Nick Hockley, CA CEO, said.
“Less than 50 players have captained the Australian men’s Test team and Brian’s name is included on a list that features many of the game’s greats. He has had an extraordinary life and will be sadly missed. His contribution to cricket continues to be an inspiration and will always be remembered.”
Representing New South Wales at the domestic level, he scored a total of 5577 runs in 93 first-class matches, including 11 hundreds.
Lee Germon, Cricket NSW CEO, said: “Brian’s record on the playing field and as a leader are well documented and the fact he was able to captain Australia and NSW in cricket, as well as play hockey for Australia at a home Olympics, shows just how special he was as an athlete.
“But that is just a part of who Brian was and it was his respectful, courteous and friendly manner off the field that will endure in the memories of all that he came into contact with.”
Booth is survived by his wife Judy and four daughters.