Darren Gough facts for kids
Gough in 2005
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 18 September 1970 Monk Bretton, Yorkshire, England |
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| Nickname | Rhino, Dazzler | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm fast | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Fast bowler | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 568) | 30 June 1994 v New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 31 July 2003 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 126) | 19 May 1994 v New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 2 September 2006 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI shirt no. | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I debut (cap 3) | 13 June 2005 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last T20I | 28 August 2006 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I shirt no. | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989–2003 | Yorkshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Essex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Yorkshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: ESPNcricinfo, 19 February 2017
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Darren Gough (born 18 September 1970) is a famous English cricketer who used to play for and captain Yorkshire County Cricket Club. He was a key fast bowler for England during the 1990s. He is England's second-best wicket-taker in one-day international (ODI) matches, with 235 wickets. He also took 229 wickets in 58 Test matches, making him England's ninth-best Test wicket-taker ever.
Gough was a right-arm fast bowler and a right-handed batsman. Even though he was 5 feet 11 inches tall and strong, he bowled very fast. He was known for his "skiddy" fast bowling, which meant the ball would come off the pitch quickly. He could also make the ball swing late, often getting batters out by hitting their pads (lbw) or knocking over their stumps with an inswinging yorker (a ball that lands very close to the batter's feet).
Darren Gough stopped playing cricket at the end of the 2008 season. He also won the third series of the TV show Strictly Come Dancing in 2005.
Contents
Playing Cricket for Clubs
Darren Gough had a choice between playing cricket for Yorkshire or football for Rotherham United. He chose cricket. He played his first professional cricket match in 1989 for Yorkshire against Middlesex. In that game, he took five wickets, which is a great start! He earned his county cap in 1993 after taking 7 wickets for only 42 runs against Somerset.
Gough played county cricket for Yorkshire for 15 years. He was part of the team that won the 2001 County Championship, which was their first win in 33 years. In 2004, he moved to play for Essex. He then returned to Yorkshire in 2007 to be their captain.
He retired from all cricket in 2008. His only century (scoring 100 runs in one innings) in first-class cricket happened in 1996 against Warwickshire.
Playing Cricket for England
Early International Matches
After a great season in 1993, Gough made his Test debut for England against New Zealand in 1994. He was the 568th player to play Test cricket for England. He took a wicket in his very first over and scored his highest Test score of 65 runs, making it a memorable debut!
He kept his place in the team for the series against South Africa. He took four wickets in the first Test and was England's top wicket-taker in that series. He also helped England win their first Test match.
Playing in the Ashes Series
Gough was chosen for his first Ashes series against Australia in 1994–95. Even though England struggled, Gough played very well, taking 20 wickets. He took five wickets in one innings and scored 50 runs in Sydney, where he was named man of the match.
During a one-day series, Gough got a stress fracture in his foot, which meant he missed the last two Test matches.
Key Moments in Test Cricket
Gough played a big role in many important matches for England.
- In 1997, he took six wickets when England beat Australia in the First Test at Edgbaston. This was England's only win in a home Ashes Test between 1987 and 2005.
- In 1998, against South Africa, he helped save a match by batting for over an hour. Later in the series, he took 6 wickets for 42 runs, his best figures in Test cricket, helping England win their first home five-Test series since 1985.
- In 1998–99, during another Ashes series in Australia, Gough helped England win a thrilling match in Melbourne. He took two quick wickets at the end to secure a 12-run victory. He celebrated by shaking a stump over his head!
- Just four days later, in Sydney, Gough achieved a hat-trick (taking three wickets in three balls). This was the first Ashes hat-trick by an Englishman in almost 100 years!
Success Against West Indies and Pakistan
The year 2000 was one of Gough's best. He took 25 wickets against the West Indies, his most in any series. England won the series 3–1, their first series victory against the West Indies in 31 years. Gough was named joint player of the series.
Later, England toured Pakistan and won their first Test series there in almost 40 years. Gough took 10 wickets in that series. England then continued their winning streak by beating Sri Lanka 2–1, with Gough taking 14 wickets.
In 2001, in his 50th Test match, Gough took 5 wickets for 61 runs and reached 200 Test wickets.
Retirement from Test Cricket
After almost two years away from Test cricket due to injuries, Gough returned to play against South Africa in 2003. However, the demands of Test cricket were too much for his body, and he decided to retire from Test matches.
One Day International Cricket
Gough made his one-day international (ODI) debut for England against New Zealand in 1994. He took 2 wickets for 36 runs in that match, which England won.
He played in both the 1996 and 1999 Cricket World Cups for England. He was a consistent performer in the ODI format throughout his career.
T20I Cricket
Gough played only two Twenty20 International (T20I) matches for England. One was against Australia in 2005 and the other against Pakistan in 2006.
Darren Gough's Legacy
Darren Gough was a fantastic bowler, but England only won 18 of the 58 Test matches he played in. He played Australia 17 times but was only on the winning side 3 times. This, along with his many injuries, meant his amazing performances weren't always linked to England winning Test matches. When he was at his best, he was one of the top cricketers in the world, but knee injuries often held him back.
He took 453 wickets in 146 first-class matches for Yorkshire. He also took 290 wickets in 212 List A games. The batsmen he dismissed most often were Ricky Ponting and Michael Slater, both eight times.
After Cricket
After retiring from playing cricket, Darren Gough has been involved in many different things.
- He has been a radio presenter on talkSPORT since 2009. He used to co-host the afternoon show.
- In 2005, he took part in the BBC TV show Strictly Come Dancing with professional dancer Lilia Kopylova. He was the first cricketer to win the show, and he also won the 2005 Christmas Special. He returned in 2007 to win another Christmas Special.
- From 2010, he became an ambassador for Collier's Powerful Welsh cheddar cheese.
- In October 2019, Gough worked as a fast bowling consultant for the England cricket team.
- In December 2021, he was appointed as the director of cricket for Yorkshire, a role he held until March 2024.
- In November 2024, he became the head coach of Lahore Qalandars for the 2024 Global Super League.
Personal Life
Darren Gough has two sons. He was the best man at the wedding of fellow cricketer Kevin Pietersen. He supports the football club Barnsley and is a supporter of the Conservative Party. He was even asked by former Prime Minister David Cameron to become a Member of Parliament, but Gough said no.
After retiring, he played village cricket for Drayton Parslow in Buckinghamshire.
Awards and Honours
Darren Gough has received several awards and honours for his contributions to cricket:
- He is the first England bowler to take 200 ODI wickets.
- He is the eighth England bowler to take 200 Test wickets.
- He is the sixth fastest England bowler to reach 200 Test wickets.
- He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1999.
- He was awarded an honorary degree by Huddersfield University in 2006.
- In the same year, he was given honorary life membership by Yorkshire Cricket Club.
- He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2020 for his services to cricket and charity.
