'Iron' Mike devoted to the England cause (31 March 1999)

31 March 1999

'Iron' Mike devoted to the England cause

Simon Hughes

Regardless of whether Michael Atherton ever appears in an England cap again, there are two defining images of his career. The surreptitious fiddling with the ball, caught on camera during the Lord's Test against South Africa in 1994 which was later dubbed the 'dirt in the pocket affair'. And the icy stare at an inflamed Allan Donald, during their unforgettable encounter last summer at Trent Bridge. Both incidents reflect his bloody-minded devotion to the England cause: to Atherton the end always justified the means. 'Iron' Mike was an apt sobriquet.

His stubbornness was his greatest flaw as a captain but his greatest quality as a player. He has defied not only all the world's great bowlers this last decade - the tighter the manacles, the harder he wrestles - but also a chronic back injury that will undoubtedly terminate his career in due course. He managed to continue as a Test match batsman while being barely able to bend over without pain killers. He should have been sponsored by Nurofen.

It takes a certain mentality to be a Test match opening batsman. You need technique, sharp reactions, an unflappable temperament and guts. Atherton has all these in abundance. Excepting the odd, scintillating one-day innings, he was not a pretty player, would not captivate the casual observer. His autograph was certainly not the most sought after. His doughty, steadfast approach punctuated with subtle adjustments of hand and foot, was one for the connoisseur. He was the old world claret to Alec Stewart's new world shiraz. To Atherton it is not how but how many.

Both as captain and opening batsman he gave a steel lining to England's crumbly fabric. The defiant rearguard actions - like the epic 185 not out in Johannesburg, occupying almost 11 hours at the crease - defined his obduracy. They tended to save matches rather than steal them. Atherton became England's most indefatigable salvage machine.

Because of his Cambridge education and unflamboyant demeanour, he was an inevitable choice as England captain. But he was a disappointing, humourless leader.

"He never laughed and joked and smiled, but was always very serious", is how his mother remembers him as a child in his biography, Athers. Rather than possessing a vivacity that could rise above the team's inadequacies, his personality was coloured by their fortunes. He had a chirpy, animated disposition following a victory, but this contorted into a defensive, hangdog look in defeat, an appearance of total exasperation. At times like this you did not need a notebook for his post-match press conference - he was practically monosyllabic.

He did not seem to have the charisma to help his players out of the doldrums. Some needed to be stirred into a positive response, others needed more carrot than whip. Instead there was often a glacial distance between him and the needier players.

But it is this self-containment that is a distinguishing feature among many star batsmen. Players like Gatting, Boycott and Atherton have small circles of friends and are quite closed, self-sufficient people hard to really get to know. It is down to the solitary nature of their job - their precarious and largely isolated existence in the middle. He was always more suited to lone pursuits than communal ones, to opening the batting rather than tossing the coin.

Throughout his determined, courageous career, Atherton has retained an almost 'studenty' image. His kit is forever in chaos, and remember the loose tie and 'bum fluff' in TV interviews for which he was subtly ticked off by the powers that be? Actually, this side of him is quite refreshing. He is quite amusing and disarming away from the heat of battle, and hugely admired by the other team members for his stoic individualism.

Wherever he takes guard next, there is no doubt his best days are behind him. With his back condition clearly worsening, he will have more trouble weaving out of the way of Glenn McGrath's rib-ticklers, not less. The England selectors know this. But Michael Atherton is one stubborn individual. Rest assured, he won't give up the game without a fight.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)