Michael Slater
An explosive Australian opener whose audacious strokeplay and raw emotion at the crease defined a swashbuckling era of Test cricket.
Born 1970 (age 56)·Australian cricketer·Birthday: February 21·Generation X
Biography
Michael Slater burst onto the Test scene not with a whimper, but a cannonade of cuts and pulls. In the early 1990s, his fearless approach at the top of the order was a jolt of electricity. He played with a visible, almost childlike passion—celebrations were exuberant, disappointments etched plainly on his face. This wasn't the stoic Australian archetype; Slater was all heart. His 1993 Ashes century at Sydney, where he famously leaped for joy after reaching the milestone, encapsulated his style. He formed a devastating opening partnership with Mark Taylor, providing rapid-fire starts that became a hallmark of Australia's dominant era. While his career later faced challenges, his impact was indelible: for a glorious period, he was the most exciting batsman in the world, making Test match mornings unmissable with his intent to attack from the very first ball.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Michael was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Michael Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Michael's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Scored 14 Test centuries, often providing blistering starts for Australia in the 1990s.
- His 123 at the Sydney Ashes Test in 1993 included a famous celebratory leap that became an iconic cricket image.
- Averaged over 42 in Test cricket as an opener, a formidable record in his era.
- Was a key member of the Australian team that reached the final of the 1996 Cricket World Cup.
Did You Know?
He made his Test debut against England in 1993 and scored a century in his second match.
After cricket, he transitioned to a successful career as a television commentator and presenter for Channel Nine.
He published an autobiography titled 'Slats: The Michael Slater Story'.
He once scored a first-class triple century (213) for New South Wales.
“You play Test cricket in the moment, with all your heart on show.”
