England captain, Ashes winner, and the man on the receiving end of the ball of the century
CricketMike Gatting's career produced two images English cricket will never quite shake. One is a gold trophy held aloft in Melbourne in 1987. The other is a bewildered expression at Old Trafford, 1993.
Raised in Kingsbury and fast-tracked through the Middlesex ranks, Gatting became a fixture at Lord's for more than two decades. He was the bulwark of a powerful Middlesex side, a ferocious cutter of the ball, and a captain who led by stubbornness as much as strategy. In 1986/87 he took a weary England squad to Australia and came home with the Ashes, the last captain to do so for more than twenty years.
Then came Shane Warne's first ball in Test cricket. It drifted, pitched outside leg, and clipped Gatting's off stump. Richie Benaud called it the ball of the century. Gatting walked off looking as though someone had told him a joke he did not quite understand. He has since laughed about it more than most.
After retiring, Gatting became a fixture of the MCC committee, a coach, a selector, and one of the most recognisable voices in English cricket's establishment. His anecdotes, told with a wry self-awareness, have made him a popular figure on the after-dinner circuit.
At Steam Wine Bar, Gatting brings the full sweep of the county and international game, Ashes memories, Warne stories, and a straightforward pleasure in the company of a good room and a decent glass of red.
Two decades of world class speakers in the basement at EC3. Want to book Mike Gatting or someone like them? Tell us what you need and we will come back with a plan.
Start an enquiry