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 MBE (born 18 September 1970) is a famous English cricketer who used to be the captain of Yorkshire County Cricket Club. He was a key player for England's bowling team throughout the 1990s.
Darren Gough is England's second-best wicket-taker in One Day International (ODI) matches, with 235 wickets. He also took 229 wickets in his 58 Test matches. This makes him England's ninth most successful wicket-taker in Test history.
Gough was a right-arm fast bowler and a right-handed batsman. He was known for his "skiddy" fast bowling, which made the ball move quickly and unpredictably. He often got wickets by hitting the batsman's pads (lbw) or by bowling them out with a special delivery called an inswinging yorker.
Darren Gough stopped playing cricket professionally at the end of the 2008 season. After his cricket career, he became famous for winning the third series of 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 big cricket match in 1989 for Yorkshire against Middlesex. In that game, he took five wickets.
He played for Yorkshire for 15 years. He was part of the team that won the County Championship in 2001, which was their first win in 33 years. In 2004, he moved to play for Essex. He returned to Yorkshire in 2007 to be their captain.
Gough retired from all cricket in 2008. He scored his only century (100 runs in one innings) in a first-class match against Warwickshire in 1996.
Playing Cricket for England
Early Career and Test Debut (1994)
After a great season in 1993, Gough joined the England team for a tour in South Africa. He then made his first Test debut for England against New Zealand in 1994. He was the 568th player to represent England in Test cricket.
It was an amazing debut for Gough. He took a wicket in his very first over. He also scored his highest Test score of 65 runs in that match.
Facing South Africa and Australia (1994-1995)
Gough kept his spot in the England team for the series against South Africa. He started strong, taking four wickets in the first Test. He ended up being England's top wicket-taker in that series. He also helped England win their first Test match in the third game.
Later, Gough joined the team for his first Ashes series against Australia. Even though England struggled, Gough performed very well. He took 20 wickets and even scored a half-century (50 runs) in Sydney, where he was named man of the match. Unfortunately, he got a stress fracture in his foot during a one-day match and missed the rest of the series.
Key Moments and Injuries (1995-1997)
Gough returned to play against the West Indies in 1995. He took six wickets in the first two Tests.
In 1996, he played in a historic match against Zimbabwe. It was the first Test match ever to end in a draw with the scores tied. He also had his best match figures of 9 wickets for 92 runs against New Zealand in 1997.
During the 1997 Ashes series against Australia, Gough played in the first four Tests. England won the first Test, which was their only Ashes Test win at home between 1987 and 2005. Gough took six wickets in that game. However, he missed the final two Tests due to a knee injury.
Heroics and Hat-Trick (1998-1999)
Gough came back strong for the series against South Africa in 1998. He played a crucial role in saving a game at Old Trafford by batting for over an hour. England went on to win the Fourth Test, leveling the series.
In the final Test at his home ground, Headingley, Gough was incredible. He took three quick wickets when South Africa was chasing a target. He also got his 100th Test wicket in this match. Gough finished with 6 wickets for 42 runs, his best figures in Test cricket. England won the series, their first home five-Test series win since 1985.
Later in 1998, England played Sri Lanka. Gough batted for a long time to try and save the game, but England lost.
In the 1998-99 Ashes series in Australia, Gough played in all five Tests. He took 10 wickets in the first three games. In the fourth Test in Melbourne, Australia needed 175 runs to win. Gough took two vital wickets in one over, including a brilliant yorker, to help England win by 12 runs. This was his only Test victory in Australia. He celebrated by shaking a stump above his head!
Four days later, in the fifth Test in Sydney, Gough made history. He took three wickets in three balls (a hat-trick). This was the first Ashes hat-trick by an Englishman in almost 100 years. Gough was the top English wicket-taker in that series, with 21 wickets.
Later Career and Retirement (1999-2003)
In 1999-2000, England toured South Africa. Gough played in all five Tests. In the final Test, which had been affected by rain, England won a dramatic chase. Gough hit the winning runs for England.
In 2000, Gough played against Zimbabwe, taking 9 wickets. He then had his best series statistically against the West Indies, taking 25 wickets. England won that series 3-1, their first series win against the West Indies in 31 years. Gough was named joint player of the series.
England continued their winning streak, touring Pakistan and Sri Lanka. They won their first Test series in Pakistan in almost 40 years, with Gough taking 10 wickets. In Sri Lanka, Gough took 14 wickets, the most by an English player.
In 2001, Gough played his 50th Test match against Pakistan. He took 5 wickets for 61 runs and reached his 200th Test wicket. Later that year, he played in the Ashes series against Australia, taking 17 wickets, the most by an Englishman.
After almost two years away from Test cricket due to injuries, Gough returned in 2003 to play against South Africa. However, the demands of Test cricket were too much for his body. He retired from Test cricket soon after.
One Day International Cricket
Darren Gough made his debut in One Day International (ODI) cricket for England against New Zealand. He took 2 wickets for 36 runs in that match, helping England win.
He played in all six of England's matches in the 1996 World Cup. He also played in all five of England's matches in the 1999 World Cup, taking 11 wickets.
T20I Cricket
Gough played only two Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. One was against Australia in 2005, and the other was against Pakistan in 2006.
His Cricket Legacy
Darren Gough was a fantastic bowler for England. He played Australia 17 times in Tests and was on the winning side only 3 times. This, along with his many injuries, meant his amazing performances were not always linked to England winning Test matches. When he was at his best, he was one of the top cricketers in the world. However, injuries, especially to his knees, often held him back.
For Yorkshire, he took 453 wickets in 146 first-class matches. He also took 290 wickets in 212 List A games. In Twenty20 matches, he took 16 wickets in 17 appearances.
Interestingly, he dismissed two famous Australian batsmen, Ricky Ponting and Michael Slater, eight times each in his career.
Awards and Honours
- His 234 ODI wickets are still the second most for England.
- He was the first England bowler to take 200 ODI wickets.
- He was the eighth England bowler to take 200 Test wickets.
- He was the 6th fastest England bowler to reach 200 Test wickets.
- He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1999.
- He won the Cornhill England Player of the Year in 2000.
- He won the Vodafone England Cricketer of the Year in 2001.
In 2001, he was featured on the TV show This Is Your Life. He was surprised by Michael Aspel at Lord's Cricket Ground.
In 2006, he received an honorary degree from Huddersfield University. He also became an honorary life member of Yorkshire Cricket Club in the same year.
In 2020, he was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to cricket and charity.
Coaching and Management Roles
In October 2019, Darren Gough became a fast bowling consultant for the England cricket team. He helped the Test team prepare for matches against New Zealand.
In December 2021, Gough was appointed the director of cricket for Yorkshire. He held this important role until March 2024.
In November 2024, Gough was named the head coach of Lahore Qalandars for the upcoming 2024 Global Super League in Guyana.
Life After Cricket
After retiring from playing, Darren Gough has been involved in various activities. He appeared on the sports panel show Question of Sport.
Since 2009, he has worked for Talk Sport radio. He used to co-host the weekday afternoon drive-time show with Adrian Durham.
In 2005, Gough took part in the BBC television show Strictly Come Dancing. He was partnered with professional dancer Lilia Kopylova. He became the first cricketer to win the show. He won both the main series and the 2005 Christmas Special. He even returned in 2007 to win another Christmas Special. He also joined the Strictly Come Dancing live tour in 2008.
From 2009 to 2011, Gough was the face of the UK convenience store chain Costcutter, appearing in their TV adverts.
He also became a brand ambassador for Collier's Powerful Welsh cheddar in 2010.
Personal Life
Darren Gough has two sons with his wife, Anna. They divorced in 2002 but remarried in 2018. He was the best man at fellow cricketer Kevin Pietersen's wedding.
Gough is a big fan of Barnsley Football Club. He also supports the Conservative Party. He was even asked by Prime Minister David Cameron to become a Member of Parliament (MP), but Gough decided not to.
Images for kids
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Gough after retirement, in April 2009
