 Gower, photographed in 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | David Ivon Gower | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1 April 1957 Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Left-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right arm off break | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Batsman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 479) | 1 June 1978 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 9 August 1992 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 46) | 24 May 1978 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 16 February 1991 v New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1975–1989 | Leicestershire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1993 | Hampshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Source: CricketArchive, 1 September 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
David Ivon Gower OBE (born 1 April 1957) is an English cricket commentator and former cricketer who was captain of the England cricket team during the 1980s. Described as one of the most stylish left-handed batsmen of his era, Gower played 117 Test matches and 114 One Day Internationals (ODI) scoring 8,231 and 3,170 runs, respectively. He was one of the most capped and high-scoring players for England during his period, and only Jack Hobbs made more runs against Australia than Gower's 3,269. He was a part of the English squad which finished as runners-up at the 1979 Cricket World Cup.
Gower led England during the 1985 Ashes, and his team was victorious; however, two 5–0 whitewashes against the West Indies (in 1984 and 1985–86) reflected poorly on his captaincy, and Gower was replaced in 1986. He was briefly reinstated for the 1989 Ashes series, before being replaced as captain by Graham Gooch. The strained relationship between the pair contributed to Gower retiring from international cricket in 1993. Nevertheless, he ended with an impressive record in first-class cricket, accumulating 26,339 runs at an average of 40.08, and 53 centuries. As of February 2021, he held the record of 119 consecutive innings without registering a duck in Test cricket.[1][2] Following his retirement, Gower became a successful cricket commentator with Sky Sports, and on 16 July 2009 he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.[3][4][5]
On the occasion of England's 1000th Test in August 2018, he was named in the country's greatest Test XI by the ECB.[6]
- ^ Frindall, Bill (2009). Ask Bearders. BBC Books. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-84607-880-4.
- ^ "Records / Test matches / Batting records / Most consecutive innings without a duck". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
cricprowas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Border, Harvey, Gower, Underwood inducted into Hall of Fame". The Sports Campus. 17 July 2009. Archived from the original on 22 August 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2009.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
icchalloffamewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "England's greatest Test XI revealed". ICC. 30 July 2018. Archived from the original on 26 July 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2009.