Mark Nicholas was almost a throwback to the era of amateurs, and although he did not play for England, many inferior players did during his time with Hampshire. He did captain England A to Zimbabwe, but that was as close as he got.

An attacking middle-order batsman and useful medium-pacer, he led Hampshire for more than a decade, including to four one-day titles - the NatWest Trophy in 1991, the B&H Cup in 1988 and 1992, and the Sunday League in 1986. He scored solidly for the county, with his best season in 1984 when he made 1554 runs, one of ten occasions he topped 1000 runs.

He retired at the end of 1995, moving seamlessly into the media, as a journalist with The Daily Telegraph and as a TV commentator and anchorman. His slick presentation manner was popular with viewers, and he moved from Sky to Channel 4 when the latter won the contract to cover England's home cricket, and from there to Channel 5. He also became a fixture on Australian TV with Channel 9. He was named the Sports Presenter of the Year in 2001 by the Royal Television Society.
Cricinfo staff