Mike Atherton
Encyclopedia
Michael Andrew Atherton OBE
(born 23 March 1968) is a broadcaster, journalist and retired England international cricket
er. A right-handed opening batsman for Lancashire
and England,and occasional leg-break bowler, he achieved the captaincy of England at the age of 25 and led the side in a record 54 Test matches
. He often played the anchor role at a time when England batting performances lacked consistency and the side's overseas results were mediocre. His playing career included some controversy and was cut short by increasing back disorder. He was born in Failsworth
, Lancashire
, England.
cricket team for whom he scored almost 3,500 runs and took 170 wickets. His performances led to selection for the England under-19 team, which he captained aged 16. He also represented Lancashire
Schools from 1982-86. In 1983 he won the Jack Hobbs Memorial Award as the Outstanding Schoolboy Cricketer at under-15 level. In a (non-first-class) match against the Marylebone Cricket Club
in 1984 he took 6-27.
Entering Downing College, Cambridge
, to read history
, he was selected at 18 to play for Cambridge University Cricket Club
and awarded a blue. A year later he made 73 on his county
debut for Lancashire County Cricket Club
, scoring his maiden first-class hundred against Derbyshire a fortnight later. During this time he represented both his University
, the Combined Universities cricket team
(which he captained to the quarter finals of the Benson & Hedges cup in 1989) and his county. This early rise through the ranks, and extensive leadership experience earned him the nickname "FEC", which is thought to have stood for "future England captain". In his autobiography Opening Up, Atherton is candid about the fact that there are more colourful alternatives for "FEC"; the second word being "educated"; as suggested by his team mates at the time.
His heady rise continued when he made his debut for England in the fifth test against Australia at Trent Bridge
, where he scored 0 and 47. Atherton's chance came when several England players had just announced their decision to go on a rebel tour to South Africa
and so were banned from the Test team. However, despite these defections, he was selected as vice-captain of the 1989-90 A team tour to Zimbabwe
rather than for the West Indies tour.
Atherton returned to the England side in the summer of 1990, partnering Graham Gooch
at the top of the order, and giving a first demonstration of his abilities. In his first innings after recall, and his first opening the batting for England, he scored 151 against New Zealand
. He shared an opening partnership of 204 with Gooch against India at Lord's, in the match famous for Gooch's scores of 333 and 123, and Test centuries against New Zealand and India earned him the title of Young Cricketer of the Year.
During the winter of 1990-91, Atherton faced a sterner test on The Ashes
tour of Australia
. Although he made a century in the third Test at Sydney
, he averaged just 31 for his 279 runs, and England lost 3-0.
When Australia
arrived for the 1993 Ashes
series, Atherton's place in the team was not assured. However, a consistent summer when he scored six 50s in six Tests (including 99 at Lord's
) cemented his place in the side at a fortunate time. Graham Gooch, frustrated by continual losses against Australia, resigned as captain after the fourth Test and Atherton, aged just 25, replaced him. He lost his first match in charge but England managed to beat Australia in a morale-boosting final Test; England had not beaten Australia in the previous 18 Test matches.
Atherton's first tour as captain, to the West Indies in the winter of 1993-94, was not a success, as England lost 3-1. This was a series of highs and lows: Brian Lara
of the West Indies compiled a world record of 375 against them at Antigua
; England was bowled out for 46 to lose the third Test (and with it the series) but then roared back at Bridgetown
to win the 4th Test thanks to two centuries from Alec Stewart
. For his part, Atherton was the best of the English batsmen, scoring 510 runs at an average of 56.67.
Earning plaudits for his determination and leadership, Atherton followed up with two centuries in the first two Tests at home against New Zealand. His reputation suffered a blow when he was implicated in a ball-tampering controversy during the first Test against South Africa
at Lord's, for which he was fined £2,000 by Ray Illingworth
. Atherton was accused of lying to Peter Burge, the Match Referee. Atherton claims in his autobiography that he answered 'no' when asked if he had anything in his pockets. He believed that Burge was referring to nefarious substances such as resin or lip salve. Nonetheless, the TV pictures were damning, showing Atherton deliberately putting dirt, taken from the pitch, on the ball. Strictly speaking, Atherton was not breaking the rules - he pointed out that plenty of bowlers improve their grip on the ball by rubbing their hands on the pitch.
After this incident Atherton and England headed to Headingley
for the second Test. Atherton played one of his best innings, grinding out 99 before being caught and bowled by Brian McMillan
. Atherton stated that this innings was the best answer he could have given to the 'gutter press'. He led England to a win in the third Test at The Oval
, thus tying the series but failed to score a century.
After winning against South Africa, Atherton faced the supreme test of his leadership: an Ashes tour to Australia. His form stood well with 407 runs at 40.7, but he was unable to convert any of his five half-centuries into a hundred. Although England had a thrilling win at Adelaide
, the team stumbled to a 1-3 loss.
The next two years followed a similar pattern, England appearing to improve with success against lower rated sides such as India
and New Zealand
but struggling against the talent of Australia and Pakistan. The lack of consistent progress and the effect of a back ailment contributed to Atherton's decision to resign after five years as captain
.
Atherton continued to play Test cricket for a further 4 years and finally retired at the end of the 2001 Ashes
. Dogged by his chronic back condition, his batting never again reached previous standards.
Atherton's finest performances came when he was "against the wall", such as his monumental 185 not out in 643 minutes to salvage a draw against South Africa
, and his negation of an outstanding Allan Donald
onslaught in 1998, and that this prompted Steve Waugh
to dub him "The Cockroach" (being very hard to stamp out). However, the fact that Atherton was dismissed 19 times by Glenn McGrath
, the Australian opening bowler (a record for any bowler against one batsman) suggests that this was a side of Atherton that Waugh seldom saw first-hand. Atherton's record against Australia is modest; he averaged under thirty, with only one century in 33 tests.
Atherton has the dubious honour of having the lowest batting average of any player to have scored 6,000 or more runs in Test cricket
. He holds the record for the most English test ducks, having been dismissed for nought on 20 occasions at Test level (although this was matched by Stephen Harmison on 7 August 2009). Another dubious feature of Atherton's career is his record against top bowlers in his time . He has been dismissed 17 times each by Courtney Walsh
and Curtly Ambrose
and ten times by Shane Warne
.
for The Sunday Telegraph and succeeded Christopher Martin-Jenkins
as The Times
cricket correspondent on 1 May 2008.
Between 2002 and 2005, he was a member of the Channel 4
commentary team for the coverage of Test cricket in England. During this period he also worked as a commentator for BBC Radio
and Talksport
on Test matches outside England. Atherton joined the Sky Sports
commentary team in 2005, after they won the rights to live Test cricket in England. He commentates on all forms of the game, home and abroad, as well as covering some domestic matches. He often performs as the post-match master of ceremonies for internationals in England, presenting awards and interviewing players.
In 2002 he produced his autobiography: Opening Up. He has also written Gambling: A Story of Triumph and Disaster, published in 2006.
In March 2010 he won Sports Journalist of the Year
, at the British Press Awards
. The judges announced this was “a unanimous choice”, praised the former England cricket captain for “tackling subjects way beyond cricket” and said “the brilliance of his writing shines.”
He was one of the commentators in 2011 Cricket World Cup
. He has gained fame for his no nonsense but dryly humorous views on cricket.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 23 March 1968) is a broadcaster, journalist and retired England international cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er. A right-handed opening batsman for Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
and England,and occasional leg-break bowler, he achieved the captaincy of England at the age of 25 and led the side in a record 54 Test matches
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
. He often played the anchor role at a time when England batting performances lacked consistency and the side's overseas results were mediocre. His playing career included some controversy and was cut short by increasing back disorder. He was born in Failsworth
Failsworth
At Failsworth lies north-northwest of London. It shares common boundaries with Manchester and Oldham, on its west and northeast respectively. Failsworth is traversed by the A62 road, from Manchester to Oldham, the heavy rail line of the Oldham Loop and the Rochdale Canal, which crosses the...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England.
Cricketing career
The young Mike Atherton captained the Manchester Grammar SchoolManchester Grammar School
The Manchester Grammar School is the largest independent day school for boys in the UK . It is based in Manchester, England...
cricket team for whom he scored almost 3,500 runs and took 170 wickets. His performances led to selection for the England under-19 team, which he captained aged 16. He also represented Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
Schools from 1982-86. In 1983 he won the Jack Hobbs Memorial Award as the Outstanding Schoolboy Cricketer at under-15 level. In a (non-first-class) match against the Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
in 1984 he took 6-27.
Entering Downing College, Cambridge
Downing College, Cambridge
Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1800 and currently has around 650 students.- History :...
, to read history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, he was selected at 18 to play for Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
and awarded a blue. A year later he made 73 on his county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
debut for Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
, scoring his maiden first-class hundred against Derbyshire a fortnight later. During this time he represented both his University
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
, the Combined Universities cricket team
British Universities cricket team
The British Universities cricket team is a cricket team whose players are drawn from university sides primarily in Great Britain as the name suggests, but not exclusively those of Oxford and Cambridge. The team played under the title of Combined Universities until 1995.Combined Universities' first...
(which he captained to the quarter finals of the Benson & Hedges cup in 1989) and his county. This early rise through the ranks, and extensive leadership experience earned him the nickname "FEC", which is thought to have stood for "future England captain". In his autobiography Opening Up, Atherton is candid about the fact that there are more colourful alternatives for "FEC"; the second word being "educated"; as suggested by his team mates at the time.
His heady rise continued when he made his debut for England in the fifth test against Australia at Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
, where he scored 0 and 47. Atherton's chance came when several England players had just announced their decision to go on a rebel tour to South Africa
South African rebel tours
The South African rebel tours were a series of seven cricket tours staged between 1982 and 1990. They were known as the rebel tours because South Africa was throughout this period banned from international cricket due to the apartheid regime...
and so were banned from the Test team. However, despite these defections, he was selected as vice-captain of the 1989-90 A team tour to Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
rather than for the West Indies tour.
Atherton returned to the England side in the summer of 1990, partnering Graham Gooch
Graham Gooch
Graham Alan Gooch OBE DL is a former cricketer who captained Essex and England. He was one of the most successful international batsmen of his generation, and through a career spanning from 1973 until 2000, he became the most prolific run scorer of all time with 67,057 runs...
at the top of the order, and giving a first demonstration of his abilities. In his first innings after recall, and his first opening the batting for England, he scored 151 against New Zealand
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
. He shared an opening partnership of 204 with Gooch against India at Lord's, in the match famous for Gooch's scores of 333 and 123, and Test centuries against New Zealand and India earned him the title of Young Cricketer of the Year.
During the winter of 1990-91, Atherton faced a sterner test on The Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
tour of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Although he made a century in the third Test at Sydney
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
, he averaged just 31 for his 279 runs, and England lost 3-0.
When Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
arrived for the 1993 Ashes
Australian cricket team in England in 1993
Four players debuted in the First Test: Andy Caddick and Peter Such for England and Brendon Julian and Michael Slater for the tourists. The new Australian opening partnership of Slater and Mark Taylor dominated the first part of the first day, putting on 128 for the first wicket, but it was Such...
series, Atherton's place in the team was not assured. However, a consistent summer when he scored six 50s in six Tests (including 99 at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
) cemented his place in the side at a fortunate time. Graham Gooch, frustrated by continual losses against Australia, resigned as captain after the fourth Test and Atherton, aged just 25, replaced him. He lost his first match in charge but England managed to beat Australia in a morale-boosting final Test; England had not beaten Australia in the previous 18 Test matches.
Atherton's first tour as captain, to the West Indies in the winter of 1993-94, was not a success, as England lost 3-1. This was a series of highs and lows: Brian Lara
Brian Lara
Brian Charles Lara, TC, OCC, AM is a former West Indian international cricket player. Lara is generally regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time...
of the West Indies compiled a world record of 375 against them at Antigua
Antigua Recreation Ground
Antigua Recreation Ground is the national stadium of Antigua and Barbuda. It is located in St. John's, on the island of Antigua. The ground has been used by the West Indies cricket team and Antigua and Barbuda national football team...
; England was bowled out for 46 to lose the third Test (and with it the series) but then roared back at Bridgetown
Kensington Oval
The Kensington Oval is located to the west of the capital-city Bridgetown on the island of Barbados. "The Oval" is one of the major sporting facilities on the island and is primarily used for cricket...
to win the 4th Test thanks to two centuries from Alec Stewart
Alec Stewart
Alec James Stewart OBE is a retired English cricketer, a right-handed batsman-wicketkeeper and former captain of the England cricket team...
. For his part, Atherton was the best of the English batsmen, scoring 510 runs at an average of 56.67.
Earning plaudits for his determination and leadership, Atherton followed up with two centuries in the first two Tests at home against New Zealand. His reputation suffered a blow when he was implicated in a ball-tampering controversy during the first Test against South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
at Lord's, for which he was fined £2,000 by Ray Illingworth
Ray Illingworth
Raymond Illingworth, CBE is a former English cricketer, cricket commentator and cricket administrator. He was one of only nine players to have taken 2,000 wickets and made 20,000 runs in First class cricket, and the last one to do so...
. Atherton was accused of lying to Peter Burge, the Match Referee. Atherton claims in his autobiography that he answered 'no' when asked if he had anything in his pockets. He believed that Burge was referring to nefarious substances such as resin or lip salve. Nonetheless, the TV pictures were damning, showing Atherton deliberately putting dirt, taken from the pitch, on the ball. Strictly speaking, Atherton was not breaking the rules - he pointed out that plenty of bowlers improve their grip on the ball by rubbing their hands on the pitch.
After this incident Atherton and England headed to Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
for the second Test. Atherton played one of his best innings, grinding out 99 before being caught and bowled by Brian McMillan
Brian McMillan
Brian Mervin McMillan played 38 Tests and 78 One Day Internationals for South Africa from 1991 to 1998...
. Atherton stated that this innings was the best answer he could have given to the 'gutter press'. He led England to a win in the third Test at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
, thus tying the series but failed to score a century.
Adelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
, the team stumbled to a 1-3 loss.
The next two years followed a similar pattern, England appearing to improve with success against lower rated sides such as India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
but struggling against the talent of Australia and Pakistan. The lack of consistent progress and the effect of a back ailment contributed to Atherton's decision to resign after five years as captain
Captain (cricket)
The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player...
.
Atherton continued to play Test cricket for a further 4 years and finally retired at the end of the 2001 Ashes
Australian cricket team in England in 2001
-Second Test: 19 – 22 July 2001:-Third Test: 2 – 6 August 2001:Australia retained the Ashes with a seven-wicket victory over England in the third Test at Trent Bridge. England won the toss and chose to bat first, England needed to win the game to give them a outisde chance of winning the Ashes. But...
. Dogged by his chronic back condition, his batting never again reached previous standards.
Atherton's finest performances came when he was "against the wall", such as his monumental 185 not out in 643 minutes to salvage a draw against South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and his negation of an outstanding Allan Donald
Allan Donald
Allan Anthony Donald is a former South African cricketer and one of their most successful pace bowlers.In his prime, he was one of the best fast bowlers ever seen in Test cricket, reaching the top of the ICC Test rankings in 1998 and peaked with a top ICC ranking of 895 points the next year, the...
onslaught in 1998, and that this prompted Steve Waugh
Steve Waugh
Stephen Rodger "Steve" Waugh, AO is a former Australian cricketer and fraternal twin of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman, he was also a successful medium-pace bowler...
to dub him "The Cockroach" (being very hard to stamp out). However, the fact that Atherton was dismissed 19 times by Glenn McGrath
Glenn McGrath
Glenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century...
, the Australian opening bowler (a record for any bowler against one batsman) suggests that this was a side of Atherton that Waugh seldom saw first-hand. Atherton's record against Australia is modest; he averaged under thirty, with only one century in 33 tests.
Atherton has the dubious honour of having the lowest batting average of any player to have scored 6,000 or more runs in Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
. He holds the record for the most English test ducks, having been dismissed for nought on 20 occasions at Test level (although this was matched by Stephen Harmison on 7 August 2009). Another dubious feature of Atherton's career is his record against top bowlers in his time . He has been dismissed 17 times each by Courtney Walsh
Courtney Walsh
Courtney Andrew Walsh is a former international cricketer who represented the West Indies from 1984 to 2001, captaining the West Indies in 22 Test matches...
and Curtly Ambrose
Curtly Ambrose
Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose is a former West Indian cricketer. His skill was as a right-arm fast bowler, especially in partnership with Courtney Walsh...
and ten times by Shane Warne
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
.
Post-playing career
Since his retirement from the game, Atherton has carved out a successful career in the media. He was a journalistJournalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
for The Sunday Telegraph and succeeded Christopher Martin-Jenkins
Christopher Martin-Jenkins
Christopher Dennis Alexander Martin-Jenkins MBE, also known as CMJ , is a cricket journalist and Past President of the MCC. He is also a commentator for Test Match Special on BBC Radio....
as The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
cricket correspondent on 1 May 2008.
Between 2002 and 2005, he was a member of the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
commentary team for the coverage of Test cricket in England. During this period he also worked as a commentator for BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
and Talksport
TalkSPORT
Talksport , owned by UTV radio, is one of the United Kingdom's three terrestrial analogue Independent National Radio broadcasters, offering a sports and talk radio service broadcast from London to the United Kingdom....
on Test matches outside England. Atherton joined the Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
commentary team in 2005, after they won the rights to live Test cricket in England. He commentates on all forms of the game, home and abroad, as well as covering some domestic matches. He often performs as the post-match master of ceremonies for internationals in England, presenting awards and interviewing players.
In 2002 he produced his autobiography: Opening Up. He has also written Gambling: A Story of Triumph and Disaster, published in 2006.
In March 2010 he won Sports Journalist of the Year
Sports journalism
Sports journalism is a form of journalism that reports on sports topics and events.While the sports department within some newspapers has been mockingly called the toy department, because sports journalists do not concern themselves with the 'serious' topics covered by the news desk, sports...
, at the British Press Awards
British Press Awards
The British Press Awards is an annual ceremony that celebrates the best of British journalism. Established in the 1970s, honours are voted on by a panel of journalists and newspaper executives...
. The judges announced this was “a unanimous choice”, praised the former England cricket captain for “tackling subjects way beyond cricket” and said “the brilliance of his writing shines.”
He was one of the commentators in 2011 Cricket World Cup
2011 Cricket World Cup
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a World Cup...
. He has gained fame for his no nonsense but dryly humorous views on cricket.