Mike Atherton OBE

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Mike enjoyed an illustrious career that saw him graduate from Cambridge University to England captain via Lancashire CCC, accumulating 115 Test caps and 7,728 runs (at 37.69) in the process.

A stubborn right-handed opening batsman, he captained England on 54 occasions, being voted the Cricket Writers' Cricketer of the Year in 1990 and named one of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year in 1991.

He received unwelcome flak for the infamous "dirt in the pocket" incident but stood firm until a degenerative back condition forced his retirement in 2001. It had already curtailed a promising sideline in leg-spin that brought him more than 100 first-class scalps early in his career.

Since then and following retirement he became a journalist and is a cricket commentator with Sky Sports and chief cricket correspondent of The Times.

Mike was awarded an OBE in 1997 for services to cricket.

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