I say, David, that’s not #!$@& cricket!
HE has enjoyed an illustrious career at the crease and later as a commentator but yesterday cricket legend David Gower dropped an uncharacteristic clanger.
Covering his last Test match for Sky TV, Gower, who is known by his commentary box colleagues as ‘Snooty’, sparked a minor furore when he used the F-word on live television.
Covering the fifth Ashes Test at the Oval, the 62-year-old muttered: ‘I haven’t got a f****** clue’, seemingly unaware his mic was on.
Gower has anchored Sky’s cricket coverage for more than 20 years but 12 months ago he was told his contract would not be renewed and it was the end of the road for him and fellow pundit Ian Botham.
The elegant former batsman, who is the fourth highest English Test run scorer of all time, has made no secret of his disappointment.
He said: ‘I’ve had a brilliant time with Sky. I’m sorry to be going. I didn’t have the right mentality for coaching and I like talking, I like language. The broadcasting felt right. And I think there’s a lot left in the tank. I want to stay in broadcasting because I think I’m quite good at it and I love it.’
Gower’s rare blunder came just days after viewers saw him behave strangely during the first day of the Test match.
Eyebrows were raised when, during the tea interval, he walked off midway through a televised conversation with fellow pundits Shane Warne and Michael Atherton on the outfield. It prompted Warne to comment: ‘You know how to bat from here, David.’ Gower replied: ‘Hang on a second, you hold that, hold that. Finish off, I’m going to have a bat.’
With that, Gower handed his microphone to Warne and walked towards the middle of the pitch.
The two other presenters were clearly taken aback, with Atherton commenting: ‘I don’t know where he’s gone, I think he’s had enough.’
Most viewers assumed yesterday’s slip-up was an innocent mistake. One tweeted: ‘Glad to see he’s human after all. Can’t be that perfect all the time.’