All posts tagged: Michael Atherton

Former England captains Atherton, Hussain & Boycott blast ECB over lack of Ashes accountability

Former England captains Atherton, Hussain & Boycott blast ECB over lack of Ashes accountability

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3 min readMar 25, 2026 11:47 PM IST The England Cricket Board (ECB) continues to find itself at the receiving end of criticism after handing a clean chit to head coach Brendon McCullum, following a disastrous Ashes series in which England lost 4–1 in emphatic fashion during the five-match Test tour of Australia last summer. ECB chief executive Richard Gould recently confirmed that the positions of captain Ben Stokes, managing director Rob Key, and McCullum are safe following a thorough review conducted by the board. Former England captain Michael Atherton expressed surprise at the decision. He believes fans will find it “extraordinary” that no jobs were lost for the “mistakes” made during the Ashes defeat. “From the perspective of people out there, they will find it extraordinary that there’s been no accountability for the mistakes made in the Ashes,” Atherton said while speaking to Key on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast. “It’s not necessarily bloodlust people want, but I think they want genuine accountability. If there’s no change to key personnel, they will argue, ‘Well, …

Michael Atherton questions frequency of ICC World Cups, weighs ‘law of diminishing returns’ vs Associate nations’ needs after T20 World Cup 2026

Michael Atherton questions frequency of ICC World Cups, weighs ‘law of diminishing returns’ vs Associate nations’ needs after T20 World Cup 2026

Published by Webster

3 min readUpdated: Mar 10, 2026 12:13 AM IST Following the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2026, former England skipper Michael Atherton opened up on his conflicting views about the frequency of ICC events, questioning whether the world really needs a World Cup almost every year. Atherton acknowledged the strong case for these tournaments, particularly for associate nations, for whom these events serve as the primary platform to showcase their talent and growth on the cricketing circuit. “It’s why I’m a bit conflicted about the number of World Cups that we have. In a way, you think there’s going to be the law of diminishing returns. If you have a World Cup virtually every year, well, there’s essentially three World Cups every four years with the biennial T20 World Cup and then the quadrennial 50-over World Cup… that makes three out of every four years.” “So you think gradually, you know, that there’ll be a law of diminishing returns. But equally, you know, people will say, who are supporters of the associate nations, that …

‘Toast of India’: Michael Atherton hails Sanju Samson after his unbeaten 97 leads India into T20 World Cup semifinal | Cricket News

‘Toast of India’: Michael Atherton hails Sanju Samson after his unbeaten 97 leads India into T20 World Cup semifinal | Cricket News

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4 min readMar 2, 2026 01:52 PM IST Former England captain Michael Atherton heaped praise on Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, referring to how he had become “the toast of India” after his unbeaten innings of 97 runs in 50 balls against the West Indies in Kolkata took the co-hosts into the semifinal, where they will play England on Thursday. Atherton referred to how the 31-year-old had gone from not being considered for a place in the playing XI to becoming a national hero in the space of a week. “Samson never looked worried, though, despite the loss of Sharma — who is having a poor tournament — Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav by the halfway stage. Varma provided timely acceleration but this was Samson’s show. When he hit the winning runs, he went down on both knees, spread his arms wide and looked to the heavens, just about holding his emotions in check. A week ago, he was nowhere; on Sunday, he became the toast of India,” he wrote in his column for The Times. The …

‘It has become a miserable spectacle recently’: Michael Atherton slams India vs Pakistan fixtures, says he’d much rather cover Nepal and Italy matches | Cricket News

‘It has become a miserable spectacle recently’: Michael Atherton slams India vs Pakistan fixtures, says he’d much rather cover Nepal and Italy matches | Cricket News

Published by Webster

2 min readFeb 15, 2026 06:26 PM IST Former England player Michael Atherton slammed the modern-day India vs Pakistan fixtures, calling it a ‘miserable spectacle’ that has become ‘too big to fail’. He also added that he would much rather cover matches featuring Italy and Nepal, rather than a India vs Pakistan game. “This is the fixture that has become too big to fail — the contest that allows for the functioning of the international cricket system as it stands — even though it has become an unattractive game in its present guise, as a proxy for political point-scoring,” Atherton wrote in his column for The Times. “There is likely to be the usual feverish anticipation over the next day or two; breathless articles about the number of eyeballs on the game, usually said to be somewhere in the mid-hundreds of millions, and the importance of the occasion. In truth, it has become a miserable spectacle recently — both on the field, where it has become too one-sided, and off it, where the result has …

Nasser Hussain to ICC: ‘Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India must be treated the same’ | Cricket News

Nasser Hussain to ICC: ‘Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India must be treated the same’ | Cricket News

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3 min readUpdated: Feb 5, 2026 02:07 PM IST Former England captain Nasser Hussain has criticised the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the way they have handed the recent issue of Bangladesh Cricket Team refusing to travel to India for the T20 World Cup and Pakistan boycotting the group stage game against India. Bangladesh team’s ouster came after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to send their team to India for the T20 World Cup citing security concerns after the Board of Control for Cricket in India had forced Kolkata Knight Riders to dump a Bangladesh cricketer from its roster for the upcoming Indian Premier League. After the ICC booted out Bangladesh, Pakistan government announced that its team will play in the T20 World Cup, but will boycott the game against India. This led the ICC to ask the PCB to rethink the decision. Now, former England captain Hussain has asked the ICC to be consistent with the way they handle situations. While speaking on the Sky Sports Podcast, where he was joined by Michael …

Michael Atherton on Harry Brook’s innings in Sydney Ashes Test on Day 1: ‘Lost the plot… was so lucky’

Michael Atherton on Harry Brook’s innings in Sydney Ashes Test on Day 1: ‘Lost the plot… was so lucky’

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Michael Atherton on Harry Brook’s innings in Sydney Ashes Test on Day 1: ‘Lost the plot… was so lucky’ Disclaimer: We do not own any of the content, ideas, images, or text presented here. All rights belong to their respective owners. For more information and to view the original source, please visit the following link: Source link

‘Never has Ben Stokes needed Root more…’: Atherton showers his praise on Joe Root’s maiden Test hundred in Australia | Cricket News

‘Never has Ben Stokes needed Root more…’: Atherton showers his praise on Joe Root’s maiden Test hundred in Australia | Cricket News

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With his knock of 138 runs against Australia in the second Test of The Ashes at the Gabba in Brisbane, England batsman Joe Root scored his 40th hundred in Test cricket. It was Root’s first hundred against Australia in Australia and with his first Test century in Australia, Root has answered critics as well fans across the world. The England batsman, who is currently placed second in the all-time run getters list in Test cricket behind Sachin Tendulkar, took 30 innings in Australia to score his maiden Test hundred in Australia. With England placed at five for 2 when Root came out to bat on Thursday, former England captain Michael Atherton has termed Root’s innings as ‘innings of his life’. “What matters to him more than anything, is scoring crucial runs at a critical time. He was in for the 16th ball of the innings, at 5-2, so it could have gone horribly wrong. With Mitchell Starc knocking back (Ben) Duckett and (Ollie) Pope for ducks, all those memories of Perth flooding back, but then …

‘If you go 2-0 down here in Australia, that’s the Ashes as good as done’: Michael Atherton warns England | Cricket News

‘If you go 2-0 down here in Australia, that’s the Ashes as good as done’: Michael Atherton warns England | Cricket News

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Former England batter Michael Atherton issued a warning to the England team, saying that they have to bounce back in the 2nd ashes series at Brisbane, adding that if they lost at the Gabba, the series could well be over. England batters had capitulated a couple of weeks ago at Perth for the first Test, leading to Australia winning the match by 8 runs and taking a 1-0 lead in the series. “The omens are not necessarily in their favour but they have to bounce back, If you go 2-0 down here in Australia, that’s the Ashes as good as done because England don’t generally win that many Test down under and they certainly don’t win three on the bounce. So, it’s a massive game and England will have to bounce back and play rather better than they did in Perth. And if they do, there are still vulnerabilities in this Australian team to exploit,” Atherton said on Sky cricket. “If you go 2-0 down, that’s the Ashes DONE” ❌ Athers previews England’s second Ashes …

Nasser Hussain says Virat Kohli did not want to be ‘normal cricketer’ speculating on reasons for Indian’s retirement | Cricket News

Nasser Hussain says Virat Kohli did not want to be ‘normal cricketer’ speculating on reasons for Indian’s retirement | Cricket News

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One of the standout features that is unique to Virat Kohli among all the other greats is the intensity with which he has played the game. Whether the team was in a winning situation or in a losing one, it never would have shown how Kohli has carried himself on the field, especially in red-ball cricket. His retirement in red-ball format did come as a bit of a surprise, especially with a five-match Test series being the next assignment away from home in England. Former England cricketer Nasser Hussain has speculated that it is Kohli’s reluctance to be a “normal cricketer” that might be part of the reason why he has decided to call it a day in the format. “He is the ultimate winner, he sees the end goal as a win, and he is desperate for that,” Hussain said on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast. “Everything for Kohli is about winning. Why do you think he’s so good in run chases? He can’t go on the field and not be a hundred per …

England Great Expresses ‘Pity’ For Virat Kohli’s Replacement At No. 4: “About 15 Years…”

England Great Expresses ‘Pity’ For Virat Kohli’s Replacement At No. 4: “About 15 Years…”

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Virat Kohli’s retirement from the whites marked the end of an era.© AFP Former England cricketer Michael Atherton has said that he “loved” watching Virat Kohli play every day of his 123 Tests and felt it was hard for someone to take their eyes off the India stalwart when he dazzled on the crease in the red-ball format. Virat penned a note on Instagram on Monday to announce his retirement from red-ball cricket, days after his long-time compatriot Rohit Sharma bid adieu to the format. In a journey that redefined the demands of the game, Virat scored 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, with 30 centuries and 31 fifties and finish as India’s fourth-highest run-getter in the format. “You couldn’t take your eyes off Kohli, that’s what I always felt like watching him. It was noticeable to me that in his retirement statement, he referenced the challenges that Test cricket had given him. I loved watching him play every day of his 123 Tests. He put his heart and soul into Test …