Name:

Slater, Michael J

Nickname:

Slats

Date of Birth:

21 Feb 1970

Gender:

Men

Place of Birth:

Wagga Wagga, NSW

Career:

Test: 1993 - 2001
ODI: 1993 - 1997

Teams:

NSW (Regional)
Australia (Country)

Swashbuckling Slater scores maiden century (Lords)

Michael Slater: Opening batsman with attacking strokeplay

Michael Slater was born on on February 21, 1970 in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. He was an attractive attacking opening batsman who scored at a rapid rate.

Slater edged out Matthew Hayden to make his Test debut in the 1st Test on the 1993 Ashes tour. He made an aggressive and entertaining century at Lords in his 2nd Test. Slater scored 416 runs at an average of 41.60 in the six-match series that Australia won 4-1.

He forged a successful opening partnership with Mark Taylor. Slater and Taylor became Test cricket's second-most successful opening pairing, and Australia's most prolific, scoring 3887 runs at an average of 51 runs per stand, second only to the 6482 runs scored between West Indians Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes.

Towards the end of his career, Slater was plagued by issues in his private life. He had a meltdown with Rahul Dravid in the Mumbai Test on the 2001 tour. He threw a helmet at a photographer causing injury. In December 2003, he was admitted to Sydney’s North Shore Private Hospital after he suffered from a mysterious disease Ankylosing Spondylitis — a form of reactive arthritis caused by an unknown virus — that left him unable to walk unaided.

Slater played 74 Tests starting from the first match of the 1993 Ashes until he was dropped after the fourth Test of the corresponding series in 2001. He scored 5312 Test runs - 12th-highest among Australians - at a robust 42.84, including 14 hundreds and 21 half-centuries. He had top score of 219 in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Perth in 1995-96.

Slater lost his wicket 9 times in the 90s during his Test career. As a per percentage of Test innings, this is a record. Steve Waugh, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid all had 10 dismissals in the 90s but played far more innings than Slater.

In retirement, Slater is a popular commentator on TV, in both U.K. and Australia.

Slater had led a troubled life after his commentary career ended. In April 2025, he was convicted of assault in a domestic situation. Slater was sentenced to four years' imprisonment, partly suspended for five years.

Source: CricketCrowd Staff Reporter