Darren Gough Q&A: Big Bike Ride 2 test ahead of Pakistan v England
Monday 12 October 2015 12:48, UK
Darren Gough is pumped up about England's chances against Pakistan but for now his full focus is on making the 'Big Bike Ride 2' a success.
The former England paceman is back in the saddle aiming to power through 385 miles in five days to raise money for the Professional Cricketers' Association Benevolent Fund and the Tom Maynard Trust.
He's in good company with Steve Harmison, Marcus Trescothick, Dave Fulton and Geraint Jones among the peloton. To follow their progress and make a donation click here…
Sky Sports caught up with Darren during a brief break on the first stage, a gruelling 90-mile stretch between Truro and Instow…
Fair play to you Goughie! This challenge looks pretty punishing…
DG: I'm not a bad cyclist but I'm not as good as some of the guys on this trip. There are lots of hardcore hills between Truro and Instow so it's been a tough start; they're as hard as I've cycled up, so for me this first day has been a big shock! At times I've been thinking 'am I going to get to the top - or am I going to have to get off and push for a couple of minutes?' You've got to be so mentally strong to tackle these inclines; they really test your mettle.
How much do the two charities motivate you?
DG: Massively because they're two fantastic causes. The PCA does so much great work. I played with Jamie Hood at Yorkshire many years ago. He went to South Africa to further his game and broke his neck in a car accident - he's been in a wheelchair ever since. Without the PCA's help it would be very, very difficult for him to live as normal a life as possible.
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Graeme 'Foxy' Fowler is here - he fought depression for a long time on his own but the PCA helped him tremendously and Brian Close, bless him, who had hip and knee replacements. At the start of the year Jack Bond, one of the PCA's founder members, had an emergency operation within 24 hours. Then there's Matt Maynard, who I played with for England, who lost his son in tragic circumstances; the Trust in Tom's name does so much great work to educate youngsters about what can happen if they take their eye off the ball.
England's series against Pakistan will be underway by the time you finish. What's your prediction?
DG: It's a difficult one and it will be tough but nobody gave us a chance in 2000, especially after we went 1-0 down, and it was the same against Sri Lanka in 2001. I don't think Pakistan's spin options are as good as they were in 2012, when England lost 3-0, but it will be very difficult to take wickets. We will need our spinners to come up trumps. I think we will play Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid. Ali might bat up top, the only problem being that come the tour of South Africa he might struggle against their pace. If Ali does score loads of runs, though, it will be tempting to open with him against South Africa.
What's your abiding memory of the 2000 tour of Pakistan?
DG: The team spirit - it was the best I ever experienced as an England player. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there; the people really looked after us - they made us feel very, very welcome at all the grounds we went to, the hotels were fantastic. There were precious few distractions so everyone stayed together and enjoyed each other's company. I'll never forget those tours to Pakistan and Sri Lanka - they were absolutely superb. READ: England's Karachi Cracker
How hard will it be for the seamers in the United Arab Emirates?
DG: It's a lot easier to bowl there than it is in Karachi and Colombo! The new ball does go through, believe it or not, and there will be a bit of swing. That will go quickly, though, and then it's down to the spinners! In pre-season Jimmy Anderson bowled at my lad, who was playing for the MCC, and he swung the ball a lot in Abu Dhabi. I watched Pakistan play in a one-day international in Dubai and the new ball went through there too.
How proud are you of Yorkshire's retention of the County Championship title?
DG: I remember when I first went back there as captain, Colin Graves said to me 'we're not going to win anything in the next two years but after that we're going to win everything'. He wanted me to give a lot of youngsters their debuts and build from there. You've got to give the club huge credit for building the squad they've got. Well done to them, it's a fantastic achievement.
Click here to find out more about the Professional Cricketers Association and the Tom Maynard Trust.
