BACK PAGE: 1989

DAVID GOWER’S reign as England captain looked like being painfully short as Australia put his team to the sword in the first two Tests. It did not get any better as Allan Border’s men cruised to a 4-0 victory in the Cornhill series. Gower, who won the Ashes as England skipper in 1985, was sacked and replaced by Graham Gooch for the series in the West Indies.