David Gower

Born on 1st April 1957 at Tunbridge Wells in Kent, David Ivon Gower is a former English Captain who led his team primarily from 1982 to 1986 and in the 1989 Ashes tournament.

The stylish left-handed batter amassed a cumulative 11,401 runs in his 14-year-long international career, which ran from 1978 to 1992. 

After spending his early life in Tanganyika, Gower moved back to England at the age of six, where he tried his luck at cricket. He started playing First-Class cricket for Leicestershire in 1975 and later for Hampshire from 1989 till the end of his career. 

The Tunbridge Wells-born scored 26,339 runs in his domestic career and hence, was known as the stalwart in county cricket. One of the records he holds to his name is that of scoring no ducks in 119 consecutive innings. 

The southpaw successfully led his side during the 1985 Ashes series in England, which was the highlight of his career. Later, he was dismissed from captaincy in 1986 because he lost two crucial series to the West Indies. 

Gower declined to play in the 1987 Cricket World Cup because he had been on nine successive tours since making his debut, raising some eyebrows regarding his commitment.

The top-order batter is the fifth-highest run-getter for England in Test cricket, scoring 8,231 runs at an average of 44.25.

Gower became a successful commentator after retirement and was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2009.

(As of July 2022)