PROFILE

Athey made his debut for his native Yorkshire in 1976. He was a neat, stylish right-hand batsman, fine close fielder and an occasional medium-paced bowler. His talent and technique were enough to mark him from his first appearance as the long-term successor to Geoffrey Boycott. In seven summers with Yorkshire he scored more than 6,000 runs, including ten centuries, four in 1982, twice passing a thousand runs.

He move?? to Gloucestershire in 19?8?4???,? ?after marrying the sister of a Middlesex cricketer, ?w?h?e?r?e? ?h???e captained the side in 198?9 and scored four hundreds in successive i?nnings while there. In 19?93 he moved to Sussex, and passed 25,000 first-class runs when he made an unbe?aten century against Somerset in 1997. He retired at the end of that season and joined? Worcestershire as coach but left New Road at the end of 2000.?

Bill Athey's 23 Test appearances were spread over eight years when he was often dropped and recalled, which always makes it difficult for a player to find the consistency he needs. He made his debut in the Centenary Test at Lord's in 1980 and eight years later appeared in the Bicentenary Test in Sydney, one of only three England players to feature in both games - John Emburey and Mike Gatting being the others.

One-day internationals provided him with richer pickings. Athey hit two centuries and top-scored for England before being run out in their World Cup final defeat against Australia at Calcutta in 1987. ?

?He was suspended for playing in South Africa in 1990, but the suspension was remitted two years later.?