'Captain Grumpy' waves goodbye

Michael Atherton hasn't announced his retirement yet but his wave goodbye at The Oval on Sunday said it all.

So did the reaction of the crowd and his Australian opponents.

The England opening batsman, berating himself after being dismissed cheaply in the second innings of the fifth and final Ashes test, was given a standing ovation as he reached the pavilion steps, with the Australian players joining in as they watched him leave the arena.

England captain Nasser Hussain and long-time team mate Alec Stewart met Atherton as he reached the dressing-room door and patted him on the back.

His nine runs on Sunday did not merit such appreciation but his 115-test career in which he scored more than 7,000 runs, including 16 centuries, certainly did.

Atherton himself, a man short on words and ostentation, seemed to make the loudest statement of all as he turned round and made a perfunctory gesture with his bat to the crowd.

England are due to announce their plans for their winter tours to India and New Zealand on Tuesday and it would be a major shock if Atherton's name appeared on the list.

The 33-year-old, struggling with a degenerative back condition for years, has been the barnacle at the top of the England order for around a decade since making his test debut as a 21-year-old.

A compact, cautious right-hander, Atherton was best known for stubbornness, disciplined strokeplay and a well-organised defence.

His defining innings came in Johannesburg in the 1995-96 series against South Africa. Typically, England were in a hopeless position, with defeat only a matter of time.

Ten hours and 43 minutes later, however, "Iron Mike" had earned the unlikeliest of draws with 185 not out. For Englishmen, it was a monumental innings. For South Africans, it was infuriating, the sort of cricket to drive them to distraction.

BAD TIMES

Atherton, who made his first-class debut aged 19, will also be remembered for captaining England a record 54 times, although his tenure, between 1993-1998, came during bad times.

Highly respected by his peers and good company in private when the mood takes him, he failed to show the same bonhomie in public. An intensely private man, his relationship with the media became increasingly terse, particularly after the 'dirt in the pocket' episode at Lord's in 1994.

Atherton was clearly pictured on television rubbing dirt from his pocket on to the ball. He denied ball tampering but the dirt stuck, as did the 2,000-pound fine that followed. From then on, Atherton became "Captain Grumpy".

TOO YOUNG

Perhaps the Cambridge University and Lancashire batsman had been too young at 25 to take over the England captaincy from Graham Gooch. Perhaps he is now too young at 33 to go.

But his back problems -- inherited from his father, whose own sporting ambitions were curtailed by the condition -- and the offer of work from his former tormentors in the media may have forced his hand. There are only so many injections and painkillers a man can take.

Atherton, who had been expected to announce his departure in a newspaper column on Sunday but who probably enjoyed keeping everyone waiting, would have wished for a better exit.

He batted for just 20 balls and 26 minutes before being squared up by his nemesis Glenn McGrath, a man who has dismissed him 19 times in 34 innings.

By his own standards, the Mancunian has had a wretched series, averaging just over 22 compared to a career test average of 37.69.

His frustration was clear as he trudged off, scowling and living up to his nickname to the last.

Mail Cricket Editor