Michael Atherton, the former England cricket captain who has written for the Sunday Telegraph since 1994, is to join The Times as cricket correspondent next summer.
Atherton, who will continue his duties as a Sky Sports commentator, will replace Christopher Martin-Jenkins, who is taking on the role of senior cricket columnist after England’s forthcoming tour to New Zealand.
Atherton’s Sunday columns have marked him out as one of the better respected ex-pros who have made the move into the press box. He has been short-listed for the SJA Sports Writer of the Year award in 2005 and 2006.
His seriousness about his journalism career has prompted his decision to move from the Sunday Telegraph.
“He’s keen to try a daily and The Times are reshaping their cricket coverage with CMJ’s change of job,” an insider said.
Martin-Jenkins has been best known as the former BBC Cricket Correspondent, and he continues to provide radio commentaries. His lauded position at The Times , and the ever-increasing demands of the modern international cricket calendar, has already seen the newspaper appoint a one-day cricket correspondent in Richard Hobson.