Journalist threatens to sue Atherton

Another ghost from the past returned to haunt England in Pakistan today when a local sports journalist threatened legal action against Michael Atherton over a 1996 insult.

Journalist Asghar Ali said he wanted to give former England captain Atherton a "last chance" to write a public apology for the insult made at a press conference at Rawalpindi during the sixth World Cup.

Already angry after England's defeat by South Africa, Atherton tried to understand Ali's question in broken English before saying: "Can someone get this buffoon out of here?"

Ali said that unless Atherton, wrote an apology within 10 days he would take the matter to court. He said the insult had ruined his life and tainted his reputation as a journalist.

"My personal life, my professional life and my financial life has been affected," he said, adding that his fiancee at the time had called off the marriage because she "did not want to be the wife of a 'buffoon'."

Ali, a university graduate and vice-president of the Pakistan Sports Journalists' Association, said he was writing a book about the incident.

He added: "I have talked to many international cricket captains including Hansie Cronje and (Arjuna) Ranatunga about Atherton and their comments are in this book."

The incident drew protests at the time from the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists but Atherton did not apologise.

Former England batsman Bill Athey, 43, is to leave Worcestershire after three seasons as county coach.