THE ASHES ROOT OF THE PROBLEM IS WEIGHT OF CAPTAINCY Ex-skipper Gower knows Joe’s emotional burden

ENGLAND

DAVID GOWER watched the tidal wave of emotions wash over English cricket through the monumental Ashes Test match at Headingley last weekend – and the man he instinctively felt for was skipper Joe Root.

Few have experienced the heartache and elation as England cricket captain in the way Gower did as a crushed loser in 1989 and a champion leader in 1985.

Nobody could have been happier for Root when what seemed sure to be a nightmare surrender was transformed by Ben Stokes into a miraculous triumph.

“It is the hardest time for a captain when things are going wrong and I felt so much for Joe when England were out for 67 in the first innings,” said Gower. captain, that you have to keep a positive face at all times, that you are responsible for yourself and the team, responsible in a way for a country.

“The focus is on the England cricket team when the Ashes are being played. Ever since Botham’s Ashes in 1981, which was a very difficult political time, the nation can be grateful for an England cricket team that plays well.”

That is true once again.

Gower ( right) played in that famous 1981 Headingley match, h, which was eclipsed in some eyes s by the dramatic victory last weekend at the same ground.

Memorable

The former captain, now in n his final summer as a Sky cricket et commentator, is always reluctant nt to make comparisons in quality between one era and another.

What delights him is the impact his beloved sport can still have on the country, what he calls the “warm glow” effect of unexpected glory.

Root, from being down and out, now has the chance of a memorable success. Gower. “The game is about coping. It’s pure ‘ If’, it’s pure Kipling. You steel yourself to make the most of the good times and brace yourself to cope with the bad times.

“Joe has to remember how good he is. You have to back yourself, you have to pick yourself up very quickly.

“Joe has lived cricket from birth, it has been at the centre of his life – the passion is there, absolutely.

“Yo “You have to be very self-aware as captain. When it goes well, you t take the kudos, but you are always aware it can turn very quickly. But there is no greater feeling than holding the Ashes aloft, as I did at The Oval in t the summer of 1985.”

The Oval, this time, will be Gowe Gower’s last Test match as a Sky commentator. It is a matter of regret – he is keen to continue working in and talking about the sport he adores. the cameramen, the people who make the little films which are so good. A cricket team is 11 players. We have a squad of 80 people.

“That is special and I am sad it has to change. I would like to stay involved. I think I have some knowledge to impart that helps the game and I would love to stay in broadcasting in the future.

“It was nice that people on Twitter were saying I shouldn’t be going, but that’s how it is. There won’t be an MCC special general meeting about this.”

Triumph

That is a reference to the time when Gower was controversially left out of an England tour to India and there was a campaign to get the decision changed.

He knows exactly what it’s like to be a national hero – and the importance of Test cricket to the nation.

Gower is delighted significance remains even in the summer of a World Cup triumph. “The thrill is there and we have seen it all in this series,” he said.