David Gower on the joy of holding the Ashes and pain of losing the England captaincy

The Cricketer Magazine editor Huw Turbervill speaks to the former Sky Sports anchor in a wide-ranging interview

David Gower relives the highs and lows of his England career in an interview with The Cricketer magazine editor Huw Turbervill in the latest of the 'Huw Meets' YouTube series.

Gower, now 67, England's fifth-highest Test run-scorer, and the best-looking of the lot in looks and style, names the highs as being captain when they won a memorable series in India in 1984/85, and the following summer regaining the Ashes from Australia.

"That Ashes always gets the headlines – to be an Ashes-winning captain is rather special, a proud moment," he told The Cricketer.

"I was in peak form and it was a joy to stand three floors up at The Oval with the Ashes in hand after three months of competition. I also had the best bat I ever had. So I had a lovely, successful time through that six-match series, as good as it gets.

Few batters have played with more elegance than Gower (Ben Radford/Allsport UK

"India the winter before was also a very interesting time. There was the assassination of Mrs Gandhi on the morning we arrived, then the killing of the British deputy high commissioner Percy Norris a couple of weeks later.

"So, it was a proud moment again to get through all those issues, with the anxiety and emotions running high. We lost the first Test, but to come back and win the series 2-1 was brilliant, especially as we were missing the 'rebels' Graham Gooch and John Emburey (banned for going to South Africa), and Ian Botham was unavailable. The people we took filled the breach beautifully."

Gower also talks about the pain of losing the England captaincy in 1986 and 1989 and the challenge of returning to the ranks and relates it to how well Joe Root has done since he hung up the captaincy.

Additionally, he talks through how hard it was playing against the brilliant West Indies sides of the 1980s, with their fearsome battery of quick bowlers, and stunning batting line-up.

Watch the interview in full at the top of the article or head to The Cricketer's YouTube channel.

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