Graham Alan Gooch (born 23 July 1953) is a former cricketer. He captained England and Essex, and is the most prolific run scorer in the sport's history. Gooch scored more than 100 first-class centuries in a career spanning almost 30 years. He is one of only 25 players to have achieved this remarkable feat.

Graham Gooch First Class Cricket Debut and Early Success

Graham Gooch played his first county game for Essex in 1973, at just 19 years old. He continued to play for the county until he retired in 1997, almost 25 years later. Gooch was instrumental in helping Essex win their first major domestic trophy since the club was formed when they beat Surrey in the Benson and Hedges Cup final in 1979. This victory set Essex on a successful path: they won six county championships between 1979 and 1992. Essex also won all other major domestic trophies on one or more occasions throughout this time.

Gooch claimed 94 first-class centuries for Essex, more than any other cricketer. This success helped raise Gooch's profile and earned him the respect of many cricket fans. In the early years of the gaming industry, he also lent his name to two computer games: Graham Gooch's Test Cricket (1985) and Graham Gooch World Class Cricket (in 1993).

When Did Graham Gooch Join the England Cricket Team?

Gooch started playing England Test matches in 1975. He made his Test debut against Australia, though the team went on to lose the initial Test. After Gooch scored 6 and 31 in the second Ashes Test, he was cut from the team. However, he was called up for England again in 1978 based on his consistently high performance for Essex. This was a major turning point in Gooch's Test career, and he was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1980.

Gooch and other cricket stars (including Bob Woolmer and Geoffrey Boycott) were notoriously banned from playing in any Test match for three years in 1982, after their controversial South African rebel tour. Graham Gooch unfairly received much of the criticism for the incident.

Gooch's Return to England Test Cricket in 1985, West Indies Defeat, and Beating India at Lord's

Graham Gooch joined England for Test matches again in 1985, and was twice appointed captain. His first time in the captaincy role came when he replaced Chris Cowdrey in 1988, and the second in the 1989 - 90 West Indies winter tour (after David Gower resigned). He led England to win the first Test, marking their first defeat of the West Indies team in almost 20 years. England almost won the third Test too.

In summer 1990, Gooch performed to a particularly high standard and scored a plethora of Test runs against both New Zealand and India. He achieved a world record-breaking 456 runs against India in the Lord's Test, becoming one of only two players to get a triple century (333) in the first Test innings and another century (123) in the second innings of the same Test match. England won both series.

Graham Gooch received the Professional Cricketers' Association Player of the Year award that same year.

Retirement from England Captaincy and Continued Success as a Test Player

Gooch stepped down from the captain's position after the fourth Test match of the Ashes series in 1993. Batsman Mike Atherton succeeded him.

However, Gooch continued to play for England with great success. One of his finest performances during this time saw him score a double century in a 1994 match against New Zealand. Gooch was England's highest run scorer of all time upon his retirement from Test cricket, having played 118 Tests.

What Cricket World Cup Events Did Graham Gooch Play In?

Graham Gooch took part in three cricket world cup tournaments across three decades, beginning with the 1979 Cricket World Cup, followed by the 1987 event, and culminating with the 1992 World Cup. He played in the finals of all three.

Gooch is England's greatest world cup run-scorer, having achieved 897 runs in 21 innings. Throughout his entire career as a cricket player, Gooch made 67,057 runs in First-Class and List A matches. This places him above Sir Jack Hobbs, who achieved 61,237 runs.

When Did Graham Gooch Become England Batting Coach?

Graham Gooch replaced Keith Fletcher as Head Coach at Essex in October 2001. He remained in this position for more than three years before he left in March 2005, but continued to serve as batting coach for the England team.

Gooch coached England for their series against Bangladesh and Pakistan in 2010. He also coached the team for the winter Ashes in Australia that year. His influence on the team achieved clear results: England's batsmen had scored six double-centuries in 15 years of Test matches before Gooch took over, but they beat this total within just 15 months of his appointment.

He became full-time batting coach for England in 2012 after England was defeated by Pakistan, as the loss was largely blamed on the batsmen.

Graham Gooch's Other Post-Retirement Achievements and Career

Graham Gooch came out of retirement briefly to play a First Class match in summer 2000, captaining Marylebone Cricket Club when they took on New Zealand A.

Gooch has appeared in numerous TV programmes over the years, including Cricket AM, A Question of Sport, and Gamesmaster. An episode of the long-running TV series 'This Is Your Life' focused on Gooch in 1990. He has also commentated on cricket matches for Channel Four, Radio Five Live Sport, and Sky.

Gooch appeared on an episode of the Sky Cricket Podcast in 2020, on which he discussed his career, fellow cricketer Ian Botham, and more. He has received recognition from the academic community, too: the University of East London awarded Graham Gooch an Honorary Doctorate of Arts in 2011. He is also a prolific After Dinner speaker, entertaining and inspiring audiences with stories from across his career.… show more