Former cricket star Ian Botham auctions memorabilia from 1981 Ashes win

Former cricketer Lord Ian Botham sold valuable memorabilia from his illustrious playing career, with the 1981 Ashes victory commemorative among the best-selling items.

It was part of the collection England all-rounder and leading wicket-taker so far James Anderson surpassed his 383 wickets in 2015 sold the ball with which he took five Australian wickets in 1981 Ashes.

A red ball given to Botham by one of the umpires after a match at Edgbaston sold for £20,000.

Meanwhile, an original cricket stump from a previous match at Headingley, which Botham took as a souvenir and which had ‘Headingley 81’ written in ink on the base, sold for £11,000.

An inscribed Man of the Match medal from the 1981 Headingley match was also one of the highest-selling items in the collection, going under the hammer for more than double its pre-sale estimate of £19,000.

In total, Botham sold more than 200 souvenirs during his entire career at The Oval cricket ground in the south of the country. London as part of Knights Sporting Auctions – the decision has been made to sell items as part of the move to downsizing.

The top selling item from the auction was an original Manchester United short-sleeve shirt worn by Northern Ireland footballer Samuel ‘Sammy’ McIlroy in a Charity Shield match against Liverpool at Wembley in August 1977.

The shirt, which McIlroy gave to Botham and was valued at £3,000 before the sale, sold for £23,000.

Meanwhile, the 2004 BBC Sports Personal of the Year award was sold for £3,600.

Other lots included Botham’s Somerset 1st XI cricket cap, which sold for over £2,700 before the sale, and a navy blue Test jacket, issued to Botham and worn during his England career, which sold for £1,800 .