Darren Gough: 26 facts about England’s pace spearhead of 1990s

Darren Gough, born September 18, 1970, is a Yorkshire-born former English cricketer. With the ball in his hand, he expressed himself like no one else; outright on the face, aggressive and England’s best find since Bob Willis. The face of the English pace department bagged 229 and 235 wickets in Tests and One-Day Internationals (ODIs) respectively. He also maintained a healthy average in both formats, well below 30. Ankit Banerjee closely reviews a career spanning over a decade to give you a more comprehensive understanding of Gough.

1.  Justin Langer

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The first and the last wicket one scalps are usually the most remembered ones; in this case Gough’s last first class wicket was Justin Langer. After scalping the wicket of the former Australian opener Langer, a sarcastic Gough said, “I am happy to finish with an Aussie in my pocket.” The short and sturdy Australian commented in his BBC column, hailing Gough as the most respected and admired player of his generation.

2.  Footballer

People who know Gough from an early age are not alien to the fact that he loves football. Apparently he appeared many times for YTS before finally settling with cricket.

3.  Dazzler

Apparently, the England’s most trusted pacer of the 90s was nicknamed ‘dazzler’ by his near and dear ones.

4.  Indiscipline, refer to Dazzler

Dazzler is his autobiography, which is a mind-boggling read, confesses that he was undisciplined during his First-Class days, claiming he lacked the drive and ambition.

5.  Game-changer

It was 1993, a match between Yorkshire and Hampshire where he had already bagged four wickets and had to make a choice to continue or to leave the field as he was having physical discrepancies. He opted for the former and his life changed completely after that.

6.  Blockbuster debut

He debuted in 1994 in both formats. He picked up four wickets in the first innings and doubled it up with a useful 65 with the bat against New Zealand.

7.  Ian Botham

After his twin contribution on debut with the bat and the ball, the English media touted him as the next, great ‘Ian Botham’. He scored 65 in his first innings in Test cricket and went on to pick six wickets in the match.

8.  Hat-trick

Against Australia in Sydney in 1999, Gough scalped a hat-trick which was the 23rd ever in Test cricket.

9.  Sole ton

His only First-Class century came against Warwickshire in 1996 at Headingly.

10.  Test stop

 A knee injury compelled him to call it a day from Tests in 2003.

11.  First English to 200

In the year 2004, he became the first English pacer to take 200 wickets in ODIs.

12.  For a cause

In January 2005, he played for the World XI in the World Cricket Tsunami appeal One-Day international versus the Asian XI. Very recently, he also participated for a fundraiser, Help for Heroes match, proving that the Englishman is always up for a cause.

13.  Gough, the dancer

In 2005, he became a part of the BBC television programme, Strictly Come Dancing. He was partnered by British national champion Lillia Kopylova. The pair went on to win the contest.

14.  Yorkshire

Born and raised in Yorkshire, he was a true statesman of cricket there. He played for 15 long years with Yorkshire also ended up captaining the county side.

15.  Cost-cutter

By 2010, the English pacer became the face of United Kingdom supermarket chain, ‘Cost-cutter.’

16.  Cheesy

Gough became the brand ambassador for Collier’s Powerful Welsh cheddar in 2010 making a number of appearances notably at the International Cheese Awards in Nantwich.

17.  Politics

In 2009, Gough revealed he was a supporter of the Conservative Party. David Cameron showed willingness to induct him in the party with a ticket to compete but he did not take up the offer citing other commitments.

18.  Ponzi

Gough was an investor in Business Consulting International, which later came to be exposed as the United Kingdom’s biggest ponzi scheme.

19.  David Hirst

On Talksport’s afternoon drive-time show, he confirmed that Yorkshireman and former English striker David Hirst was his best friend.

20.  KP’s best man

Darren Gough was the best man at Kevin Pietersen’s wedding in December 2007.

21.  Barnsley in my blood

Gough, as mentioned, is a football fanatic who is also a die-hard fan of Barnsley FC in the Championships.

22.  Nuptial knot snapped

He ended his eight-year long marriage with wife Anna in 2002 but both are now reconciled, according to a report in Daily Telegraph in 2009.

23.  The father

Gough and Anna have two sons, Liam and Brennan.

24.  Extra-marital affair?

Apparently, there were whispers of Gough dating Amy Childs, which the latter refuted. She also made it clear that she was not the reason for the divorce.

25.  11 fifers

He has accounted for nine five-wicket hauls in Tests and two in One Day Internationals (ODIs).

26.  Part of history

Gough was a part of the much-awaited 100th Test at the iconic Lord’s. England achieved a convincing win over West Indies in the Test in 2000.

(Related story: Darren Gough: Life and times)

(A cricket geek to the tee, Ankit Banerjee smokes and snorts it all day long. The romance with the sport incepted since the 1996 World Cup semi-final. He is a winner of the 2011 edition of the All-India college cricket quiz.)