Jonathan Agnew

Infobox cricketer biography
playername = Jonathan Agnew


country = England
fullname = Jonathan Philip Agnew
nickname = Aggers
living = true
dayofbirth = 4
monthofbirth = 4
yearofbirth = 1960
placeofbirth = Macclesfield, Cheshire
countryofbirth = England
heightft = 6
heightinch = 4
batting = Right-handed
bowling = Right arm fast
role = Bowler, commentator
international = true
testdebutdate = 9 August
testdebutyear = 1984
testdebutagainst = West Indies
testc

lasttestdate = 6 August
lasttestyear = 1985
lasttestagainst = Australia
odidebutdate = 23 January
odidebutyear = 1985
odidebutagainst = India
odic

lastodidate = 17 February
lastodiyear = 1985
lastodiagainst = Australia
club1 = Leicestershire
year1 = 1979 – 1992
deliveries = balls
columns = 4
column1 = Tests
matches1 = 3
runs1 = 10
bat avg1 = 10.00
100s/50s1 = 0/0
top score1 = 5
deliveries1 = 552
wickets1 = 4
bowl avg1 = 93.25
fivefor1 = –
tenfor1 = –
best bowling1 = 2/51
catches/stumpings1 = 0/–
column2 = ODI
matches2 = 3
runs2 = 2
bat avg2 = –
100s/50s2 = 0/0
top score2 = 2*
deliveries2 = 126
wickets2 = 3
bowl avg2 = 40.00
fivefor2 = –
tenfor2 = n/a
best bowling2 = 3/38
catches/stumpings2 = 1/–
column3 = FC
matches3 = 218
runs3 = 2108
bat avg3 = 11.51
100s/50s3 = 0/2
top score3 = 90
deliveries3 = 35388
wickets3 = 666
bowl avg3 = 29.25
fivefor3 = 37
tenfor3 = 6
best bowling3 = 9/70
catches/stumpings3 = 39/–
column4 = LA
matches4 = 147
runs4 = 335
bat avg4 = 9.30
100s/50s4 = 0/0
top score4 = 26
deliveries4 = 6813
wickets4 = 158
bowl avg4 = 29.26
fivefor4 = 2
tenfor4 = n/a
best bowling4 = 5/30
catches/stumpings4 = 19/–
date = 5 August
year = 2008
source = http://content.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/8501.html Cricinfo

Jonathan Philip Agnew (nicknamed Aggers) is an English cricket broadcaster and former professional cricketer. He was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire on April 4, 1960 and educated at Uppingham School.

Agnew had a successful first-class career as a fast bowler for Leicestershire, taking 666 wickets at an average of 29.25 and winning three Test caps for England.

Since retiring as a player, Agnew has become a cricket journalist across a variety of media, but most notably on radio, as a Test Match Special commentator and as a BBC radio cricket correspondent. An on-air incident in tandem with Brian Johnston has been voted "the greatest piece of sporting commentary ever" in a BBC poll.

Playing career

Capable of bowling quickly in suitable conditions, Agnew made his first-class debut for Leicestershire in 1978 after impressing in local club cricket. He took 101 wickets in the 1987 season for his county. His best first-class bowling figures were 9 for 70 and he took six ten-wicket hauls in 218 matches.

He was selected as one of five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1988 as reward for a fine season for Leicestershire, although by this stage his England career had ended after disappointing in the three Test matches and three One Day Internationals (ODIs) he'd played in the mid 1980s. His last Test was only 12 months after his first and his last ODI was only one month after his first.

With his height and pace, he had useful attributes for a fast bowler. In his book "8 days a week" (1988), Agnew gave his opinion that it was the huge workload faced by county fast bowlers during the 1980s that limited his international appearances and ended his career early; Agnew retired at the age of 30.Fact|date=August 2008

In 1992, two years after Agnew retired, Leicestershire experienced an injury crisis before their NatWest Trophy semi-final against Essex. Agnew was called out of retirement and finished the match with figures of 12-2-31-1. Leicestershire won the match, but Agnew chose not to play in the final.cite web |url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/england/content/story/244713.html |author=Steve Pittard |title=The XI last-minute call-ups |publisher=Cricinfo.com |date=May 2006 Retrieved on 5 August 2008.]

Broadcasting career

Agnew began to gain experience as a journalist while still playing cricket, taking off season employment with BBC Radio Leicester as a sports producer. After retiring at a relatively young age at the end of the 1990 season, he had a stint as cricket correspondent of "Today", a short-lived national newspaper, before being appointed the BBC's cricket correspondent in 1991, though in 1992 he answered an emergency call to an injury-strapped Leicestershire and played in the Natwest Trophy semi-final, taking a creditable 1-31 off 12 overs.

As a commentator Agnew is regarded as a cheerful and easy-going character (although even he became testy when asked to broadcast from an underground carpark [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/funny_old_game/1323325.stm] ). Agnew rose to fame as a commentator on BBC on Test Match Special (where he is known as "Aggers"). He joined TMS in 1990 and quickly became a respected figure in the field of cricket commentary, despite a very short international career. Agnew was initially a junior member of the TMS team, learning at close quarters from legends such as Brian Johnston, Henry Blofeld and Bill Frindall. However, following Johnston's death in 1994, Agnew became the BBC's Cricket Correspondent and, in effect, the voice of English cricket. As the lead commentator on TMS, Agnew has augmented the programme's reputation for warmth, humanity and, above all, informality that belies the professionalism of all involved.

In 2006, Agnew began to develop a strong broadcasting relationship with Geoffrey Boycott. Their contrasting styles, jocular (though verging on confrontational) interplay and apparent respect for one another's abilities as broadcasters led some, most notably Wisden, to describe the pair as the "Lennon and McCartney of cricket broadcasting". [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/tms/6992851.stm]

Agnew has also lent his commentary prowess to several computer games, including the International Cricket Captain and Brian Lara Cricket series.

Broadcasting controversies

In 2004, the Zimbabwe government banned media from following the England cricket team on tour of the country. The popular response from English fans was "They've banned Aggers",http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20041129/ai_n12814243] .

Agnew's reaction was combative:

But Aggers wasn't going on the back foot. He went on BBC breakfast television to say that the media ban presented a golden opportunity to the England and Wales Cricket Board to pull out of this controversial tour, and he couldn't believe the board would pass up such a chance.

In the Summer of 2008, Michael Vaughan reacted testily to questions by Agnew about his batting form. When Vaughan resigned shortly thereafter, Michael Atherton, writing in The Times commented that it had been an out of character outburst that was a portent of the resignation. When Atherton had himself been England captain, Agnew had led the calls for Atherton to resign over the "dirt in the pocket" affair.

The Legover incident

Agnew was commentating with Brian Johnston for an England vs West Indies Test Match in August 1991 when they produced a piece of commentary which has been voted by listeners to BBC Radio 5 Live as the "greatest piece of sporting commentary ever." [http://sport.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,10488,1552787,00.html]

In a review of the day, Johnston was describing how Ian Botham, while batting, had reeled and tried, but failed, to step over his stumps. Botham was consequently given out hit wicket. Agnew's comment on this action was: "He just couldn't quite get his leg over." The innuendo provoked a lengthy period of laughter and giggling, most notably by Johnston, who tried to continue commentating through his giggles, including the line "Aggers, for goodness' sake, do stop it" between convulsions of mirth. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/fungames/audio/legover.mp3 mp3] In England, "getting one's leg over" is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse, something for which Botham had quite a reputation. [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,1476497,00.html]

Another on-air giggling fit by Agnew was provoked by Eleanor Oldroyd's comment: "One good bit of news for England is that Ian Botham's groin is back to full strength." [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/funny_old_game/1594019.stm]

Teams

International

*England

Non-International First class

*Leicestershire
*Marylebone Cricket Club
*DB Close's XI
*England XI
*England B

Second XI Championship

*Surrey Second XI (1977)
*Leicestershire Second XI (1978–1986)

Miscellaneous Other

*Marylebone Cricket Club Schools (1978)
*National Cricket Association Young Cricketers (1978)
*England Young Cricketers (1978/79)
*Lord's Taverners (1983)
*Lavinia, Duchess of Norfolk's XI (1984–1989)
*England XI (1984/85)
*Sir JP Getty's XI (1992)

Career bests

=Tests=

Test debut: vs West Indies, The Oval, 1984
Last Test: vs Australia, Manchester, 1985
* Agnew's best Test batting score of 5 was made against West Indies, The Oval, 1984
* His best Test bowling figures of 2 for 51 came against West Indies, The Oval, 1984

One Day International

ODI debut: vs India, Nagpur, 1984-1985
Last ODI: vs Australia, Melbourne, 1984-85
* Agnew's best ODI batting score of 2 not out was made against Australia, Melbourne, 1984-1985
* His best ODI bowling figures of 3 for 38 came against India, Nagpur, 1984-85

=First-class=

*Agnew's best first-class batting score was 90, Yorkshire v Leicestershire, Scarborough, 1987 [http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/49/49131.html]
*His best first-class bowling figures were 9 for 70, Leicestershire v Kent, Leicester, 1985 [http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/46/46266.html]

List A Limited Overs

*Agnew's best List A batting score was 26, Leicestershire v Australians, Leicester, 1981 [http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/41/41598.html]
*His best List A bowling figures were 5 for 30, Gloucestershire v Leicestershire, Bristol, 1987 [http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/48/48527.html]

References

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/tms/6098364.stm Test Match Special official site]
* [http://content.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/8501.html Cricinfo player profile of Jonathan Agnew]
* [http://www.howstat.com.au/cricket/Statistics/Players/PlayerOverview.asp?PlayerID=0012 HowSTAT! statistical profile on Jonathan Agnew]
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1444508/ Jonathan Agnew at Internet Movie Database]

Persondata
NAME=Agnew, Jonathan Philip
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Aggers
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Cricketer
DATE OF BIRTH=1960
PLACE OF BIRTH=Macclesfield, England
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=