DAVID GOWER: "A HERO FOR LIFE"

"Secretly, I wanted England to lose with Gatting as captain"

My introduction to cricket occurred at the beginning of the 1986 season when I was seven years old. And for reasons I cannot remember, David Gower became my hero, a hero for life.

I remember going to the Oval for my first ever match where England were playing India in an ODI. I eagerly waited to see Gower bat and when he finally came to the crease I was in my element. First ball, he hit it straight to Kapil Dev for a simple catch. I remember innocently asking my father if you got a second chance if you were out first ball. He gave me the bad news while trying not to laugh.

About 20 years later I saw Gower at Lord's and, while asking for a photo and speaking directly to him for the first time, I told him about the occasion. He looked at me with a wry smile and said "there were better days". I had waited so long to speak to my hero and that story was the best I could do!

During that 1986 season Gower managed to lose the England captaincy and then the Leicestershire captaincy. Coupled with the first-ball duck, I think having me as a fan was bad luck for him!

After the captaincy was taken away, for the next few years Gower was still an automatic selection for England. Gatting (the new captain) never had any issue with England's best batsman, and he was free to do what he did best

Secretly, I wanted England to lose with Gatting as captain. More losses under another captain meant there was a higher chance of Gower reclaiming the throne. In 1988 he was reappointed Leicestershire captain and this seemed a good omen.

Sure enough by 1989 Gower was back as England captain. I was now 10, and looking forward to seeing him lead all my Category 2 heroes to an easy Ashes win. There would be Gooch, Gatting, Botham and Lamb, what chance did Australia have?

What followed was the most disastrous English summer ever. And by September, Gower was sacked for the second time as captain. My only happy memory from that series is that I was at Lord’s on the Saturday and saw him score 15 not out in the evening session. On the Monday (rest days were in place those days) he reached 106, so I can say I saw my hero score a part of his 15th Test 100.

Despite losing the captaincy, I was confident he would last another eight years in the game. I followed his stats carefully and, given he was only 32 in 1989, and that his average had never once dropped below 40, he was on target to get over 10,000 runs and play in at least 150 Tests. It was all perfectly set up for him.

Sadly, Gooch, Dexter, and Stewart had other ideas. During the new reign in which he would only play a further 11 Tests, Gower still managed to entertain with a gritty 157* at the Oval against India in 1990, followed by two Ashes centuries down under in 1990/91.

But my favourite and lasting memory of him was when he broke Boycott's England career run aggregate score in 1992 in his comeback Test. That innings of 73 will forever be etched in my heart, especially the cover drive for four that took him past Boycott.

What still rankles is that he was still at his peak when he was axed for good. Stewart spoke of consistency but Gower’s average never dropped below 40 (with Gooch we had to wait till he had played 79 Tests before he obtained an average of 40 for the first time). What is even more ironic is that in those 11 Tests under the Gooch – Stewart partnership he averaged 53, far better than most other players during that period.

In 2010 I saw him at Lord’s again and, thinking that I had to make up for saying that I saw him get out first ball in 1986, I showed him a letter I had written about him which was published in The Cricketer in February 2009.

The letter referred to points I have raised here, emphasising how unfairly he was treated towards the end of his career. He was grateful for my letter and signed it; I joked that we should ask Gooch and Stewart to sign it too!

Since leaving the field of play he has moved seamlessly into commentating and has become the front of TV coverage in the UK. His thoughts on the game are insightful, he asks provoking questions and he maintains a sense of fun with his colleagues.

Gower will always remain in Botham’s shadow and the public will always be fonder of Gower than of Gooch; regardless he has become a sporting icon, not overly famous outside cricket, and as he turns 60 this year, he can be extremely proud of a career in cricket as a player, writer and commentator; and his legacy will be that of a person who was elegant, full of flair and, above all, gentlemanly.

Words by Rajiv Radhakrishnan