BBC commentator Alison Mitchell flies back to UK after confirming health scare

05 March 2024 , 18:32

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Alison Mitchell is a familiar voice on Test Match Special (Image: Popperfoto via Getty Images)

Cricket commentator Alison Mitchell has flown back to the UK from Australia after being diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis.

Mitchell, 44, had been working in Australia for the BBC World Service and local broadcaster Channel Seven, covering Australia's Test series against West Indies. The award-winning presenter and commentator had been Down Under for months working, before experiencing the health scare and returning to the UK.

She tweeted: "Well, flying back to the UK with Deep Vein Thrombosis wasn't part of the plan. But so glad it got detected when it did. And the NHS has been swift this end, same as the medics in Oz. Feeling fortunate. Wear your flight socks, move and hydrate folks!"

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot in a vein and can be very serious. It causes swelling and pain and can be life-threatening if left untreated. People can get DVT when travelling long distances.

Replying to her followers on Twitter, Mitchell said she felt "very lucky" to have had the problem diagnosed before she flew to the UK, although it still came as a “jolt”. In another comment, she added: “Medics have sorted me out, just need a bit of patience now.”

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Mitchell is a highly-respected broadcaster and, while she is best known for her work in cricket, she has also covered tennis, hockey, netball and golf, as well as Olympic sports for the BBC and others.

Alison Mitchell is best known for her work in cricket (ICC via Getty Images)

Having first reported on a Test match for the BBC back in 2003, she is credited as a trailblazer for women in the industry. She is a familiar voice on BBC’s Test Match Special programme but has also worked for Sky Sports and TNT Sports forerunner BT Sport, covering tennis and netball.

Mitchell presents a weekly cricket podcast called Stumped, which airs on the BBC World Service, All India Radio and ABC Grandstand. She won the SJA Sports Broadcaster of the Year award in 2013 and also works as a public speaker at events.

Felix Keith