You muppets! Boycott gets pranked on air

Former England opener Geoffrey Boycott turned curmudgeonly commentator has fallen victim to a brilliant stitch-up from his BBC colleagues.

Nearly 40 years ago, Boycott scored his 100th first-class century in the 1977 Ashes Test at Headingley, the staunch Yorkshireman's home ground.

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Dropped by Rod Marsh on 22, and given not out when edging behind on 80, Boycott brought up the milestone with a sweetly-timed on-drive for four late on the first day. He has described it as "the most magical moment of my life".

He went on to score 191, an innings that helped England secure victory in the Test and with it, the Ashes.

To mark the 40th anniversary, Boycott has planned a celebratory dinner with some 180 guests. A strident commentator with some very forthright views on the game and its players, the occasion is especially dear to his heart.

All of which is the backdrop to the delicious prank so perfectly executed on air by the BBC's Test Match Special team during the final day of The Oval Test.

Boycott was on air with veteran BBC broadcaster Jonathan Agnew when the latter was handed a "statistical press release from the ICC".

"Further to the recent request from the South African government the ICC has now considered the question of downgrading all statistics including runs and wickets in the series played England and the Rest of the World in 1970," Agnew read.

At mention of this, video from the TMS commentary box shows Boycott leaning forward with sudden keen interest at the realisation this new "press release" impacted his own career record.

Agnew continued: "All records will be removed from first-class status."

In The Oval match of that 1970 series, Boycott scored 157 in England's second innings. It was one of his 100 first-class hundreds that culminated in that Headingley Ashes moment seven years later.

When @Aggerscricket received a 'press release', @GeoffreyBoycott wasn't expecting what was to follow...#bbccricket pic.twitter.com/4poNOfQRlN

— Test Match Special (@bbctms) July 31, 2017

"That's ridiculous," Boycott declared. "That's a load of tripe."

The TMS crew were just getting started with their wind-up.

"That's just silly isn't it. First-class umpires, first-class players, some of the best players in the world were playing. That Rest of the World team was a fantastic team," Boycott fumed.

Agnew made a show of checking with the BBC's stats man, who confirmed "they're gone, we'll have to take them out."

Suddenly, it was remembered Boycott had scored a century in that series, and the fabled 100th hundred was now only his 99th. He was baited about his commemoration of the anniversary

"You'll have to cancel it," Agnew said. "You've invited people under false pretences."

Boycott stewed in the commentary box for a while. "It's a mess, a complete mess," he said, before Agnew delivered the killer blow.

"It's also a complete wind-up, Geoffrey," Agnew said as he finished his on-air stint

The relief was palpable. "Is that right? You muppet! Is that right? I'll get you for that!" 

For the record, Boycott finished his first-class career with 151 centuries, including 22 in Tests, with a total of 48,426 first-class runs.

His 100th 100 anniversary dinner will raise funds for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance service. Agnew's invitation is still pending.