English cricket broadcaster and professional cricketer
Jonathan Agnew
MBE, DL
Agnew at the Adelaide Oval in 2006
Personal information
Full name
Jonathan Philip Agnew
Born
(1960-04-04) 4 April 1960 (age 64) Macclesfield, Cheshire, England
Nickname
Aggers, Spiro
Height
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Batting
Right-handed
Bowling
Right-arm fast
Role
Bowler,
commentator
International information
National side
England
Test debut (cap 508)
9 August 1984 v West Indies
Last Test
6 August 1985 v Australia
ODI debut (cap 77)
23 January 1985 v India
Last ODI
17 February 1985 v Australia
Domestic team information
Years
Team
1979–1992
Leicestershire
Career statistics
Competition
Test
ODI
FC
LA
Matches
3
3
218
147
Runs scored
10
2
2,108
335
Batting average
10.00
–
11.51
9.30
100s/50s
0/0
0/0
0/2
0/0
Top score
5
2*
90
26
Balls bowled
552
126
35,388
6,813
Wickets
4
3
666
158
Bowling average
93.25
40.00
29.25
29.26
5 wickets in innings
0
0
37
2
10 wickets in match
0
0
6
0
Best bowling
2/51
3/38
9/70
5/30
Catches/stumpings
0/–
1/–
39/–
19/–
Source: Cricinfo, 5 August 2008
Jonathan Philip Agnew, MBE, DL (born 4 April 1960) is an English cricket broadcaster and a former professional cricketer. He was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, and educated at Uppingham School. He is nicknamed "Aggers", and, less commonly, "Spiro" – the latter, according to Debrett's Cricketers' Who's Who, after former US Vice-President Spiro Agnew.[1]
Agnew had a successful first-class career as a fast bowler for Leicestershire from 1979 to 1990, returning briefly in 1992. In first-class cricket he took 666 wickets at an average of 29.25. Agnew won three Test caps for England, as well as playing three One Day Internationals in the mid-1980s, although his entire international career lasted just under a year. In county cricket, Agnew's most successful seasons came toward the end of his career, after his last international match, when he had learned to swing the ball. He was second- and third-leading wicket-taker in 1987 and 1988 respectively, including the achievement of 100 wickets in a season in 1987. He was named as one of the five Cricketers of the Year by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 1988.
While still a player, Agnew began a career in cricket journalism and commentary. Since his retirement as a player, he has become a leading voice of cricket on radio, as the BBC Radio cricket correspondent and as a commentator on Test Match Special. He has also contributed as a member of Australian broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Grandstand team.
Agnew's on-air "leg over" comment on Test Match Special, made to fellow commentator Brian Johnston in 1991, provoked giggling fits during a live broadcast and reaction from across the UK. The incident has been voted "the greatest sporting commentary ever" in a BBC poll;[2] Michael Henderson, one of Agnew's peers and rivals, has described him as "a master broadcaster ... the pick of the sports correspondents at the BBC."[3]
^Sproat, Iain, ed. (1980). Debrett's Cricketers' Who's Who (1980 ed.). Debrett's Peerage Ltd. p. 10. ISBN 0-905649-26-5.
^Culf, Andrew (20 August 2005). "The incident which led to the greatest sporting commentary of all time (according to 5 Live listeners): 'He just couldn't get his leg over'". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
^Henderson, Michael (24 February 2009). "Aggers puts Radio Halfwit in its place". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 September 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
Jonathan Philip Agnew, MBE, DL (born 4 April 1960) is an English cricket broadcaster and a former professional cricketer. He was born in Macclesfield...
Edwards), alongside Ed Cowan, Tony Greig, Gideon Haigh, Michael Holding, JonathanAgnew, Chris Gayle, Rev. Andrew Wingfield Digby, Haroon Lorgat, Lalit Modi...
plus an end of day summary with JonathanAgnew and Geoffrey Boycott. After Boycott left Test Match Special in 2020, Agnew now conducts the end of day summary...
criticised by the BBC's cricket correspondent JonathanAgnew for expressing his political views on Twitter. Agnew said, "You are the face of BBC Sport. Please...
Laidlaw Colin Murray Ian Payne Jonathan Pearce Mark Pougatch Mark Saggers Dan Walker Arlo White Cricket – JonathanAgnew Football – John Murray Golf –...
nicknames. This is a list of nicknames used in international cricket. JonathanAgnew – Spiro, Aggers Harold Bird – Dickie Henry Blofeld – Blowers Billy Bowden...
England commentary debut at the 2007 World Twenty20 in South Africa with JonathanAgnew for Test Match Special (she seemed to get on well with summariser Ian...
Retrieved 19 April 2017. correspondent, JonathanAgnew BBC cricket. "Joe Root is the complete Test batsman - JonathanAgnew". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 August...
Alby Shale, is on the board of trustees. The charity's patrons are JonathanAgnew, Brian Lara, Heather Knight, Ebony-Jewel Rainford-Brent, Sam Billings...
as normal. When he came to Botham's dismissal, his fellow presenter JonathanAgnew commented that Botham 'just didn't quite get his leg over'. This was...
Discs with his favourite selection being the classic Brian Johnston and JonathanAgnew TMS exchange "Getting your leg over". Outside cricket, Blofeld's favourite...
Kumble Alec Stewart Catherine Campbell Waqar Younis Graeme Pollock 2014 JonathanAgnew Russel Arnold Stephen Fleming Betty Timmer 2015 Ian Bishop Mark Butcher...
Oxford "-er", of the nicknames of fellow commentators (for example, JonathanAgnew is still known as "Aggers", Henry Blofeld as "Blowers", and the late...
positive about the success of the tournament within its host venue, with JonathanAgnew claiming that it was organised significantly better than the previous...
Wayne B. Phillips, Kepler Wessels, Graeme Wood. David Gower (captain), JonathanAgnew, Norman Cowans, Chris Cowdrey, Paul Downton, Phil Edmonds, Richard Ellison...
read a spoof email asking about cricket in Mexico; fellow commentator JonathanAgnew had to explain the joke to him. He once remarked: "The Queen's Park...
Tufnell, Ebony Rainford-Brent, Mark Ramprakash and James Anderson. JonathanAgnew and Alison Mitchell also contributed to commentary as well as, presenter...
Bristol North East and Christchurch Crispin Agnew, Rothesay Herald and former explorer and mountaineer. JonathanAgnew, England, Leicestershire cricketer and...
six to complete a century when on 94. JonathanAgnew and Alec Stewart called the stroke "irresponsible" and Agnew continued, suggesting that Pietersen...
England JonathanAgnew Ewart Astill Chris Balderstone Jack Birkenshaw Nigel Briers Stuart Broad Michael Carberry Nick Cook Eddie Dawson Phillip DeFreitas...
Global Information