6 Cricketers batting for a cause

#6 Ian Botham

Ian Botham on his 900-mile sponsored charity walk

The England all-rounder supports charitable causes with long-distance charity walks and he has done a total of 12 of them so far. His first walk in 1985 was a 900-mile trek from John o’ Groats to Land’s End — the whole length of the island of Great Britain.

His charitable efforts were triggered when visited a hospital to treat a broken toe but mistakenly entered into a children’s ward. Botham was shaken to hear that few of the children had only a few more days to live.

Ever since, he has raised more than £12 million for charity, with research in leukemia among the main beneficiaries. In 2003, Botham became the first-ever President of Leukemia Research, UK’s leading blood cancer charity. He also earned knighthood in 2007 from Queen Elizabeth II.

On the field or off it, some cricketers know how to win heart either ways.