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On this day in 2003: Darren Gough retires from Test cricket

Gough called it a day two matches into a return from a knee injury.

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On this day in 2003, fast bowler Darren Gough announced his retirement from Test cricket.

The Yorkshireman, playing for Essex at the time, was back in the five-day side after a two-year absence with a knee injury, but called time on his career just two matches into the Test series with South Africa, after saying his body was “in bits”.

It was the end of a stellar career for the right-armer, who made his debut in 1994 against New Zealand and then dazzled on the 1994-95 Ashes tour to Australia.

Darren Gough was one of the most successful bowlers for England during the 1990s
Darren Gough was one of the most successful bowlers for England during the 1990s (Ross Setford/PA)

The trip Down Under four years later perhaps brought his most memorable moment as his five for 96, including a hat-trick, helped England win the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

He ended with 229 wickets at an average of 28.39, putting him 12th on the list of England wicket-takers in Test cricket.

Gough continued to play limited-overs cricket for his country for a further three years, ending with 235 ODI wickets, second only to James Anderson.

He returned to Yorkshire to see out his career, retiring from all cricket in 2008 before going on to have a successful career in broadcasting.

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