Graham Gooch is a former Essex and England Cricket Team captain, national selector and coach, known as one of the most successful batsmen in English cricketing history. After a 27 year career that included over 100 first-class centuries, Graham was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2009, later becoming a member of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Graham set a multitude of records in his playing days. Most notably he became the most prolific run-scorer in top-class cricket of all time with a total of 67,057 runs across all competitions. He also holds the honour of being England's second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket.
Graham made his debut for Essex County Cricket Club in 1973, quickly making a name for himself at county cricket level. This prompted a place in the England setup in 1975 when he was just 21 years old. After a series of below-par performances he was dropped from the England team but bounced back spectacularly showing inspired form for Essex in 1978.
He was the 1980 Wisden Cricketer of the Year and an important part of the England team, becoming the Captain in 1982. He was then banned for three years due to appearing at the 1982 South African rebel tour before he was reselected in 1985.
In 1989 he was appointed as the permanent captain of the England team after he had assumed the role briefly on prior occasions. He led the side to a memorable summer in 1990 scoring a record 456 runs against India - then a world record in a Test match. He was awarded the Professional Cricketers' Association Player of the Year award for his efforts.
Graham became head coach at Essex in 2001 following his 24-year playing career where he set no fewer than five club records. He was appointed England batting coach in 2012.
In a career jam-packed with records, awards and achievements, Graham Gooch is undeniably one of the greatest England cricketers to have played the game and continues to offer wonderful stories of his experiences as an after-dinner speaker at corporate and sports events around the world.
