David Gower

He is an elegant left hand batsmen and has a reputation for being aloof and perhaps arrogant. Considered one of the finest English players to grace the field, his laconic style was often misinterpreted as indifference and a lack of seriousness. The same style often resulted in big centuries, a fine example of which was his 157 in the 6th Ashes test in the English summer of 1985. This was during a stint as captain, for which he had limited overall success. The Ashes series of 1985 was a highlight with his own batting including 3 big centuries.

Gower was "forced" from the international arena by short sighted English selectors. Witness a BBC sports news announcement on the English team to tour India in the early 1990s: in the background a scene showing Gower playing the Pakistan quick bowlers with ease; during the tests all other batsmen had struggled against them; yet in the team, no Gower. Effectively his cricket career was at a premature end at age 35.

Since that time he has been a commentator throughout the world, and an advocate for endangered African wildlife. Perhaps the best summation of his batting talent comes from Clive Lloyd[?] who noted that Gower would be an automatic selection in his West Indies team regardless. High praise indeed, and a recognition of a genuine match winner with the bat.

Since leaving the game, Gower has enjoyed a new career as a television personality, becoming one of the team captains on the popular BBC comedy sports quiz, They Think It's All Over.