David Ivon Gower, OBE (born 1 April 1957 in Tunbridge Wells, Kent) is a former English cricketer and current cricket commentator for Sky Sports. Although he eventually rose to be captain of the England cricket team during the 1980s, he is best known for being one of the most stylish left-handed batsmen of the modern era. Gower played 117 Test matches for England, scoring over 8,200 runs, he is thus one of the most capped and highest scoring players in English Test cricket history. He is also one of the most capped One Day International players, with 114 matches. Gower led the England cricket team during the 1985 Ashes series against Australia, where England enjoyed success, however Graham Gooch regained the captaincy in 1989 and the a strained relationship between the latter and Gower contributed to Gower's eventual retirement from all cricket in 1993. Nevertheless, he left behind him an impressive record in first-class cricket, with 26,339 runs at 40.08, and 53 centuries. Following his retirement, Gower became a cricket commentator "so successful that his cricket seemed mere preparation."[1]
