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Gough calls it a day

Wednesday, August 6 2003

Darren Gough this morning has, as expected, announced his retirement from Test Cricket with immediate effect.

Darren Gough's comeback to the England test side, following a two year absence during which time he had three operations on a troublesome knee, followed a successful re-introduction to the One-Day setup at the start of this summer.

Following the Oval test match against Australia in 2001 when Gough showed such spirit with the bat, his enforced layoff from test cricket has left England's attack sorely depleted in the longer version of the game.

Initially selected for the Australia tour last winter, he was unable to participate and eventually returned home for yet more surgery. His return, in the NatWest Challenge against Pakistan at Old Trafford in June, seemed to herald great things - a sprightly Gough took 2-38 in a losing cause, but England won the series.

His form in the triangular NatWest Series against South Africa and Zimbabwe was exceptional, Gough's decisive, economical seam bowling going a long way to ensure victory.

In the two tests so far this summer against South Africa, Gough seems to have hardly lost a yard of pace but it is the old 'zip' which appears to be missing. His spring at the delivery stride seems to be much lower than in his 'glory days' - a legacy so much knee surgery, no doubt.

Gough pledges to continue making himself available for One-Day Internationals for the forseeable future - so far he has taken 188 wickets at an average of a little under 25 - but his test career ends on 229 wickets at 28.39 - a record which leaves him firmly in the all-time top ten of English wicket-takers.


Front page photograph by Kim Fraser - reproduced with thanks




Posted by Eddie