I certainly don’t want to spend the whole winter experimenting and going nowhere and I don’t want to lose any pace

I certainly don’t want to spend the whole winter experimenting and going nowhere, and I don’t want to lose any pace, either.”Such doubts over Gough’s durability make his heroics of last winter seem a long time ago. After the Sydney Test at New Year, in which he took six for 49 and scored a rampaging half-century, Gough was heralded as the most compelling cricketer to emerge since Ian Botham. He had wonderful raw talent, smiled often and crowds adored him Then disaster. He collapsed in an agonising heap as he attempted to bowl his first ball of a one-day international in Melbourne. A stress fracture was diagnosed and he went home on crutches.He was fit for the first three Tests against West Indies last summer, yet performances were modest – six wickets at 42 apiece.

He was also caught on the boundary hooking his first ball at Headingley, apparently urged into recklessness by the cheering of home supporters. Then he broke down once more with foot trouble, not a stress fracture this time but enough to keep him out of the final three Tests. His mantle as English cricket’s latest luminary was seized by Dominic Cork and he believes he must prove himself all over again.”I always knew this would be a tough year after the publicity I received in Australia,” he says. “Perhaps I failed to play as well as I would like but after a couple of bad games and an injury people are saying I’ve fallen from a great height. What has kept me going is the spectators – I still get the loudest cheer when I walk out to bat They obviously like the way I play my cricket. A few poor games won’t wipe the smile off my face on the field.”I was criticised for my dismissal at Headingley They said I was playing to the gallery. But the crowd plays a big part in my cricket – the fans at Sydney got me going there, too They pump me up and I’m happy they do.

I went for that shot because I wanted to show the West Indies who was boss I always try to dominate Last year people said I was a breath of fresh air. Now I’m criticised for it.”Gough, his wife Anna and son Liam have recently moved into a new house near Wakefield he helped design. It is called The Ashes, and his career will rise or fall in the next three months. “I’m starting from behind the other players,” he says, “so my first task is to get into the team. I don’t want to become mediocre, but everybody must understand I’m not superman and I can’t perform miracles Someone will make the headlines this winter I hope it’s me.”. NO heads of state pitched up here yesterday although Raymond Illingworth, whom many believe is the deity when it comes to the England team, did hand over pounds 50,000 to help South Africa’s cricket development programme in the black townships.

The cheque, a gift from the Test and County Cricket Board, was one of the few acts of generosity on an attritional second day of this historic match. After the glorious goings-on of the first day – every England player was genuinely thrilled to meet Nelson Mandela – this was very much an anti-climax. England took their first-innings total to 332 and the South African Invitation XI, thanks largely to an enterprising ninth-wicket partnership of 69, responded with 209 for nine.
Richard Illingworth, who took five, and Mike Watkinson have already shared eight wickets and, with the pitch offering ever-increasing turn, England should be able to secure their third successive victory on tour some time during the next two days.By passing the 183 necessary to avoid the follow-on, the Invitation XI prevented an interesting insight into England’s philosophy. Would they have made their opponents bat again in the ruthless pursuit of a, hopefully, habit-forming victory? Or would they not have enforced the follow-on in order to give batsmen practice in the middle? Bearing in mind Illingworth’s oft-stated desire to slip into the rhythm of winning – unlike in Australia last winter when England suffered a string of early defeats – the first option would have been the more likely.There were casualties during England’s first lengthy spell in the field. Robin Smith was struck on his right thumb while fielding at silly point and Angus Fraser went off briefly with a bruised foot. It meant 42-year- old John Barclay, the assistant manager and former Sussex captain, acted as substitute for a while, and he rather enjoyed himself.The crowd was less than half of Friday’s 10,000 and, once more, they paid only scant attention to the cricket. The biggest cheer by far came when the public address announced that Orlando Pirates from Soweto had won through to the final of the African Cup of Nations football tournament.