Cricket: Hilarious prank on England commentator

Former Yorkshire and England batsman Geoffrey Boycott. Photo / Getty

For any cricketer, a century at first class level is a special feat that cannot and should not be underestimated.

With that in mind, for someone to score 100 tons throughout their first class cricket career is an incredible achievement.

Former England star Geoffrey Boycott is one of many prolific batsmen to have scored 100 hundreds, amassing a total of 151 centuries throughout his 24-year first class career.

However, while commentating the final day's play of England's victory over South Africa in London for the BBC, the 76-year-old's record appeared to come under threat after a 'statement' released by the ICC was read aloud by fellow commentator Jonathan Agnew.

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

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

"The ICC agrees that the series was played against the spirit of the Gleneagles agreement and that in the interests of keeping cricket free from political interference, all matches will be removed from First Class records."

Boycott dismissed the press release as "ridiculous", labelling it as "a load of tripe".

It quickly became clear to Boycott that the new ruling by the ICC would have implications on his first class career, as TMS statistician Andrew Samson - who was in on the prank - pointed out by asking: "You got a century in that series didn't you?"

Boycott confirmed that he had, to which Samson replied with by saying: "There'll be a bit of a problem there if that is taken out...

"I think I see what Aggers [Agnew] is alluding to here, because your 100th hundred would now become your 99th hundred."

"Isn't it ridiculous," Boycott replied, clearly agitated at this point.

"Write to him [the ICC spokesperson], he's an idiot... There might be others who got a hundred, and other records that you'll have to..."

Agnew proceeded to point out that it was Boycott's 100th century was scored at Headingly, the home ground of Boycott's beloved Yorkshire side, a team he played for throughout his entire career.

Agnew went on to confirm that the date of Boycott's 100th hundred was 11 August, 1977, nearly 40 years to the day.

"So, you haven't got anything planned for that, have we? We're not doing anything special," Agnew asked, only for Boycott to reveal that he was holding a charity fundraising event with 180 guests at his home.

After letting the situation sink for a while, Boycott could only mutter: "It's a mess, isn't it? A complete mess."

It was at this point that Agnew finally revealed that the whole situation was a prank.

"It's also a complete wind up!", he said, which was met with loud roars of laughter from the rest of the commentary box.

"Is that right?" Boycott exclaimed. "You muppet! It's never?! Is that a wind up? You muppet, Agnew! I'll get you for that."

He's such a bugger that @Aggerscricket - I'll get him back! And everyone else involved @bbctms! Muppets! https://t.co/tPlcdPzZh5

— Sir Geoffrey Boycott (@GeoffreyBoycott) July 31, 2017