The son of Clarrie and Lesley, David Boon was born in the Northern Tasmanian city of Launceston on 29 December 1960.
32 Facts About David Boon
2.
When David Boon was approximately six years old his family moved from South Launceston to a house connected to his parents' newsagency in the Launceston central business district.
3.
David Boon pushed the youngster forward as a possible Test player and mentored him during a long apprenticeship at first-class level.
4.
David Boon later acknowledged Simmons by naming his son after him.
5.
David Boon scored 39 from 71 balls for the losing team and had to wait almost twelve months for another opportunity.
6.
David Boon stood up well to the pace of the West Indies' bowlers and scored 51 in the second innings, batting at number six.
7.
David Boon played two more Tests in the series, and was then trialled as a middle-order batsman in eight ODIs during the World Series Cup.
8.
David Boon struggled to cope with spin bowling due to slow footwork and passed fifty only once in the first four Tests.
9.
David Boon was omitted from the side for the last two Tests in the series.
10.
David Boon responded with his first Test century, 123 from 255 balls, in his debut in the position at Adelaide.
11.
Together with Marsh, David Boon gave the Australian upper-order a stability it had not had for many years.
12.
David Boon was tried as an opener in the World Series Cup and made four half-centuries in twelve innings as Australia won the tournament for the first time in three years.
13.
David Boon began the 1986 tour of India with a century in the Tied Test at Chennai and averaged 65 in another drawn series.
14.
David Boon hit his maiden ODI century, 111 from 118 balls, in the first match of the series at Jaipur.
15.
At this stage, Australia was achieving very little success, and David Boon had played in only three winning teams in 23 Tests.
16.
David Boon returned to the ODI team for the Sharjah Cup tournament in the UAE during April 1987.
17.
David Boon's 447 runs was a major contribution to Australia's first World Cup victory.
18.
David Boon was less conspicuous during a tour of Pakistan and the home Test against the West Indies, until he hit 149 in the fourth Test against the West Indies at Sydney.
19.
David Boon returned to the number three position when Mark Taylor was brought into the team to partner Geoff Marsh.
20.
David Boon was the leading batsman of the series, scoring 530 at an average of 75.71.
21.
David Boon began the 1991 series against the West Indies with a brave 109 not out in the first Test at Jamaica.
22.
David Boon was consistent rather than spectacular on the tour of Sri Lanka.
23.
David Boon played thirteen consecutive Test innings in double figures, including scores of 83 and 96 on the tour of South Africa in 1994, before scoring 114 not out in the first Test against Pakistan at Karachi in Mark Taylor's first Test as captain.
24.
David Boon went out of Test cricket with scores of 43 and 35.
25.
David Boon led the team in three seasons between 1997 and 1999.
26.
David Boon was formerly a member of the Cricket Australia selection board, along with Merv Hughes, Andrew Hilditch and the newly appointed Jamie Cox.
27.
In May 2011, it was announced that David Boon would be standing down from his position on the selection board, and as general manager of Cricket Tasmania, to become an ICC match referee, replacing Alan Hurst on the ICC Elite Panel.
28.
David Boon made his test debut as a match referee on 1 September 2011 in a one-off test between Zimbabwe and Pakistan at Bulawayo.
29.
David Boon was the subject of a regular skit on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's comedy show The Late Show in a segment called The Oz Brothers.
30.
The Oz Brothers idolise David Boon, and are long bemused that he is continually overlooked for the honour of being named "Australian of the Year".
31.
David Boon is said to have consumed 52 cans of beer on a flight from Sydney to London in 1989.
32.
The Southern Stand at Bellerive Oval was named David Boon Stand in his honour.