Graham GOOCH

There was a time when Graham Gooch dealt only in boundaries: running between the wickets was an unnecessary chore. He belted Lillee and Thomson to every boundary at Lord's when he appeared for M.C.C. in 1975 and that got him his first Test spot. Gooch had only been playing for Essex for two seasons, introduced by his cousin Graham Saville. Despite his heavy build he was then an athletic outfielder. He had an unhappy debut in an England defeat at Edgbaston, scoring 0 in each innings and taking an unconscionable time about it. He got 6 and 31 at Lord's but was then discarded. He did not return to the Test scene until 1978, when he had become an opening batsman. He made 54 against Pakistan, then 91 not out against New Zealand at the Oval and he was on his way. His first Test century was a long time coming.

He went to Australia on the low-scoring tour of 1978-79, then was run out for 99 in Adelaide during the following winter tour. At last, in 1980 at Lord's, he made 123, showing a liking for West Indian fast-bowlers that was to be his strongest card in Test cricket. He followed up with 116 in Barbados that winter and 153 out of 285 at Sabina Park. The following year, though, he met up with his personal bete noire, Terry Alderman, for the first time and lost his place. A visit to South Africa with a rebel England team cost him his place, but he returned in triumph for the 1985 Ashes series, scoring 70 and 48 at Trent Bridge, 74 at Old Trafford, then finally battering Australia into submission with 196 in a day at the Oval. In the 1979 World Cup he scored 53 against Australia at Lord's and 71 against New Zealand in the semi-final. His medium pace out-swingers were often wicket-takers in both ODIs and Tests. (Bob Harragan)

 The final part of Graham Gooch's career comes in two parts - Gooch the reluctant tourist and Gooch the defiant captain, often carrying the England team on his own bat. He came so close to glory: almost in control in West Indies in 1989-90, drawing the series in 1991 and losing to Pakistan in the World Cup Final. Those darned Australians got him in the end, but the enduring image of the Gooch captaincy is of the man scoring England's runs against the West Indies fast-bowlers while Derek Pringle hung on, scoreless but unbowed, at the other end. That was how his captaincy began, with 73, 146 and 84 in the last Tests of 1988.

He was demoted for the Ashes series of 1989, with David Gower taking over the captaincy. Gooch was treated to his own private hell by the taunting out-swingers of Terry Alderman. It was all very different a year later when, the captaincy restored, Gooch ran up his incredible scores of 333 and 123 against India at Lord's, following up with 116 in his next Test innings at Old Trafford for good measure. In Australia in 1990- 91 he made 87 and 117 at Adelaide and 154 not out (out of 252) against West Indies at Headingley in 1991. In his World Cup bid in 1992 he made few big scores, but had 58 against India, 65 against the West Indies and 58 against Australia. In 1993, as he was losing his grip on the captaincy, he made 120 against Australia at Trent Bridge, slipping down to No. 5 to boost the middle order. He made one last trip to Australia under Atherton in 1994-95, but with no great success. (Bob Harragan)