The Profile
A cricket career with numbers to match the reputation.
Mike Gatting captained England to an Ashes victory in Australia in 1986-87, which was at the time the most successful overseas Ashes campaign in English memory. He was a middle order batsman who averaged more than thirty five across more than eighty Test matches, and he was the Middlesex captain during a period when the county was one of the most successful in the country.
He is also the batsman on the receiving end of the most famous delivery in the history of Test cricket, the Shane Warne ball of the century at Old Trafford in 1993. That moment has become one of those cricket scenes that every subsequent ball in the history of the game gets measured against, and Gatting's expression when he looked back at his off stump is part of cricket folklore.
Post-playing he has been a cricket administrator, selector, and is a respected voice in the development of the modern game. His speaker engagements cover the playing years and the administrative years with equal candour.
“I looked at the stumps. I looked at Shane. I looked at the stumps again. I still could not explain what had just happened. I am not sure Shane could either.”
Career highlights
- Ashes winning captain, 1986-87
- 4,409 Test runs for England
- 79 Test matches
- Multiple County Championship titles with Middlesex
- OBE for services to cricket
- Former England selector
First hand
Mike Gatting at Steam
Mike was one of our earliest speakers, appearing back in March 2022 as part of a double bill with Graham Gooch. The stories are as sharp now as they were then.