Graham Gooch facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Graham Gooch

Gooch in 1997
Personal information
Full name	Graham Alan Gooch
Born	(1953-07-23) 23 July 1953 (age 72) Whipps Cross, Essex, England
Nickname	Zap, Goochie
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm medium
Role	Batsman
International information
National side	England (1975–1995)
Test debut (cap 461)	10 July 1975 v Australia
Last Test	3 February 1995 v Australia
ODI debut (cap 34)	26 August 1976 v West Indies
Last ODI	10 January 1995 v Australia
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1973–1997	Essex
1982/83–1983/84	Western Province
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 118 125 581 614 Runs scored 8,900 4,290 44,846 22,211 Batting average 42.58 36.98 49.01 40.16 100s/50s 20/46 8/23 128/217 44/139 Top score 333 142 333 198* Balls bowled 2,655 2,066 18,785 14,314 Wickets 23 36 246 310 Bowling average 46.47 42.11 34.37 31.15 5 wickets in innings 0 0 3 1 10 wickets in match 0 0 0 0 Best bowling 3/39 3/19 7/14 5/8 Catches/stumpings 103/– 45/– 555/– 261/–
Medal record Men's Cricket Representing  England ICC Cricket World Cup Runner-up 1979 England Runner-up 1987 India and Pakistan Runner-up 1992 Australia and New Zealand
Source: CricInfo, 7 December 2007

Graham Alan Gooch, also known as "Goochie," is a famous former English cricket player. He was born on July 23, 1953. Graham Gooch was a fantastic batsman who played for Essex and led the England team as captain.

He played cricket from 1973 to 1997. During his career, he scored more runs than anyone else in first-class and limited-overs games, with a total of 67,057 runs. He also holds the record for the most runs in List A cricket, with 22,211 runs. Graham Gooch is one of only 25 players to have scored over 100 centuries in first-class cricket.

He played in three Cricket World Cup finals (1979, 1987, and 1992), but his team finished as runners-up each time. This makes him the only player to have lost three World Cup finals.

Even though he was banned from playing for England for three years, he became England's third-highest Test run-scorer. Many experts believe his score of 154 runs against the West Indies in 1991 was one of the greatest centuries ever. His highest score was 333 runs against India at Lord's. In that same match, he also scored 123 runs in the second innings, making his total 456 runs, which is still the highest total in a Test match.

After playing 118 Test matches, Graham Gooch retired at age 42. He then became a coach, team selector, and commentator. In 2009, he was added to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. He later became England's batting coach in 2012.

Early Cricket Days

Graham Gooch was born in Whipps Cross University Hospital in Leytonstone, London. He went to Norlington School for Boys and Leyton County High School.

He started playing first-class cricket regularly in 1973. He was known for his straight batting style and powerful hits. On November 8, 2011, he received a special award from the University of East London.

Playing for England

First Test Matches

Graham Gooch played his first Test cricket match in 1975 when he was 21. It was against Australia. His first match wasn't very successful, as he scored zero runs in both innings. England lost that match. He was then dropped from the team.

He didn't play for the Test team again until 1978. By then, he was scoring so many runs for Essex that England had to pick him again. He quickly found success, scoring his first Test half-century. It took him five years and 22 Test matches to score his first international century. In 1980, he was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year. His first three Test centuries were all against the West Indies.

A Break from England Cricket

Gooch's career had a break when he joined a special tour to South Africa in 1982. At that time, England had rules against playing cricket in South Africa. Because of this, Graham Gooch and other players were banned from Test cricket for three years. Gooch was the captain of that team, so he received a lot of attention. This ban was a big deal for him because he was playing at his best.

Returning to the Team

After the ban ended, Gooch returned to the England cricket team in 1985. He missed a tour in 1986-87 for personal reasons and struggled with his form for a while. However, he soon got back to his best, scoring a great century in a special match.

He returned to the England team for the Cricket World Cup in India and Pakistan in 1987. He later became captain of the England team twice. His first time as captain was brief in 1988. England showed more fighting spirit in his first match as captain. His second match as captain was a win.

World Cup Journeys

Graham Gooch played in three different World Cups: 1979, 1987, and 1992. He reached the final in all three tournaments.

In the 1979 Cricket World Cup, England played the West Indies in the final. Gooch scored 32 runs, but England's batting collapsed, and they lost by 92 runs.

In the 1987 Cricket World Cup, England faced Australia in the final. Gooch scored 35 runs. England lost a close match by just 7 runs. Gooch was the top run-scorer in this World Cup. He is remembered for his amazing century in the semi-final against India, where he helped England reach the final.

In the 1992 Cricket World Cup final, England played Pakistan. Gooch scored 29 runs, but England lost by 22 runs.

Overall, Graham Gooch is England's second-highest run-scorer in World Cups, with 897 runs. He scored one century and eight half-centuries. His highest score was 115 against India in 1987.

Leading the Team

After the 1989 Ashes series, Graham Gooch became England's full-time captain. He had an amazing summer in 1990, scoring runs easily against India and New Zealand.

He set a world record by scoring 456 runs in one Test match against India at Lord's in 1990. He scored 333 runs in the first innings and 123 runs in the second. Only one other player, Kumar Sangakkara, has scored a triple century and a century in the same Test match. Gooch's total of 456 runs is still the highest in a Test match. He also scored 752 runs in that three-match series, which is another record.

Gooch was known for leading by example. His batting average as captain was much higher than when he was not captain. He led England to victory against New Zealand in 1991-92 and to the World Cup final in 1992.

In 1991, he scored an incredible 154 not out against the West Indies at Headingley. He carried his bat through the entire innings, meaning he was not out when the innings ended. Many experts consider this one of the greatest Test innings ever.

After the 1993 Ashes series, Gooch stepped down as captain. He continued to play for England for a few more years, scoring another double century against New Zealand in 1994. He retired from Test cricket as England's highest run-scorer at that time. He played with a record 113 different teammates during his 118 Test matches.

Playing for Essex

Gooch started playing for Essex in 1973 when he was 19. He played for them until he retired in 1997. In 1979, he scored 120 runs in a final match, helping Essex win a major trophy for the first time. This started a very successful period for the county team. Essex won the county championship six times between 1979 and 1992.

Gooch holds many batting records for Essex. He scored the most first-class runs in a season (2559 runs in 1984). He also made more first-class centuries (94) for Essex than any other player.

He also bowled sometimes, taking over 200 first-class wickets. He could make the ball swing a lot if the conditions were right.

When he retired, many people said he was the highest run-scorer in top-level cricket. He scored 44,846 runs in first-class cricket. He also scored 22,211 runs in List A matches, which is a world record.

Cricket Coach and Beyond

Gooch in 2009

In 2001, Graham Gooch returned to Essex as the head coach. He held this role until 2005. He stayed at the club as a special batting coach.

In 2009, he became a temporary batting coach for the England team. He later took on the role permanently in 2012. He helped England's batsmen improve a lot, and the team became number one in the world rankings. Before he became coach, England's batsmen had scored 6 double-centuries in 15 years. Just 15 months after he started, they had already scored more than that.

Outside of cricket, Graham Gooch has promoted hair products. He also had two computer games made about him: Graham Gooch's Test Cricket (1985) and Graham Gooch World Class Cricket (1993).

In July 2000, he made a one-time return to first-class cricket, captaining a team just before his 47th birthday. In 2011, he received an honorary degree from the University of East London. Graham Gooch is a big fan of the West Ham United football team.

England Career Performance

Graham Gooch's Test career performance graph.

Test Match Career Performance by Opposition		Batting
Opposition	Matches	Runs	Average	High Score	100 / 50
Australia	42	2632	33.31	196	4 / 16
India	19	1725	55.64	333	5 / 8
New Zealand	15	1148	52.18	210	4 / 3
Pakistan	10	683	42.68	135	1 / 5
Sri Lanka	3	376	62.66	174	1 / 1
West Indies	26	2197	44.83	154*	5 / 13
South Africa	3	139	23.16	33	0 / 0
Overall	118	8900	42.58	333	20 / 46

ODI Career Performance by Opposition		Batting
Opposition	Matches	Runs	Average	High Score	100 / 50
Australia	32	1395	46.50	136	4 / 9
India	17	420	26.25	115	1 / 1
New Zealand	16	713	50.92	112*	1 / 4
Pakistan	16	517	32.31	142	1 / 1
Sri Lanka	7	303	43.28	84	0 / 4
West Indies	32	881	30.37	129*	1 / 4
South Africa	1	2	2.00	2	0 / 0
Overall	125	4290	36.98	142	8 / 23