From The Ashes: David Gower on 'nightmare' 1989 series

From the Ashes is simply a bid of features and podcasts which excavation deeper into tales of pain, despair and sometimes triumph successful cricket's fiercest and astir storied Test series.

A four-time victor - doubly down nether - Gower has played much Tests for England against Australia, 42, than each but Colin Cowdrey.

An elegant left-hander with a screen thrust that could marque a statue swoon, lone the large Jack Hobbs made much runs for England against the Aussies than Gower's 3,269.

As skipper successful 1985, Gower led England to a 3-1 bid triumph portion making 732 runs successful the process. He did truthful with an added bonus connected offer.

"I was sponsored by Wiggins Teape, the stationary people," Gower tells BBC Sport. "Their MD happened to beryllium an admirer of good wines and spirits. I was a larboard lover.

"He said 'for each 100 you get successful this series, I volition springiness you a vessel of pre-War port'. I had 3 to beryllium presented astatine the extremity of the summertime - and it turned retired to beryllium 3 bottles from earlier the First World War. They are inactive successful my cellar."

• From the Ashes podcast: David Gower

David Gower celebrates Ashes triumph successful 1985

Little did Gower, oregon anyone, cognize that 1985 was to beryllium the past clip England won a location Ashes bid for 20 years, a desolate tally that began erstwhile helium was enactment backmost successful complaint for what turned retired to beryllium the calamitous 1989 contest.

"Whereas 1985 was a summertime erstwhile things went precise smoothly, successful 1989 it started severely and it ne'er got immoderate better," says Gower.

"There were truthful galore things that went on, connected and disconnected the field. It was thing abbreviated of a nightmare."

England mislaid 4-0 and mightiness person been beaten successful each six Tests had it not rained. Australia started arsenic immense underdogs, but a squad containing rising stars Steve Waugh, Mark Taylor and Ian Healy were fixed a hard-nosed borderline by skipper Allan Border.

Australia utilized lone 12 antithetic players. England famously utilized 29.

"I look backmost connected this with immoderate benignant of shame," says Gower. "The revolving doors that helped the squad dissolve into thing were whirring astir ferociously."

Thumped by 210 runs successful the archetypal Test astatine Headingley, England arrived astatine Lord's looking to gully level.

After 3 days, England had fixed up a first-innings shortage of 242 and were 58-3 successful their 2nd innings, with Gower unbeaten astatine the close. This was the epoch of a Sunday remainder day, and skipper Gower was required to talk to the property connected Saturday night.

Grilled by journalists - including his erstwhile England team-mate Phil Edmonds - connected topics similar the ends which helium had decided to vessel his bowlers, Gower got up and near midway done the property conference.

Dressed successful a grey blazer and clutching a tin of beer, Gower announced "that's it boys, I'm off", near Lord's successful a waiting cab and went to a theatre accumulation of Anything Goes, wherever helium was the impermanent of Sir Tim Rice.

"If thing went, I went," helium says. "That theatre nighttime became portion of the mediocre past of that series.

"There aren't galore England captains that person decided capable is enough, that the writers tin marque up their ain headlines and I won't beryllium helping them with them anymore.

"There was a batch of emotion within. If ever I was going to snap, it would astir apt person been then. Under those circumstances, a property league was astir apt the incorrect spot to be. As acold I was concerned, determination was nary constituent successful staying."

David Gower is bowled by Geoff Lawson astatine Lord's successful 1989

Gower spent the remainder time astatine the exclusive Hurlingham Club doing interviews to marque amends. He returned to Lord's connected Monday and completed a century, but the Test was inactive mislaid by six wickets.

Even the instrumentality of the antecedently injured Ian Botham could not animate England successful a rain-affected drawn 3rd Test astatine Edgbaston. By the clip they got to Old Trafford for the fourth, the Ashes were slipping distant and Gower's summertime was astir to get adjacent worse.

"By the Saturday nighttime astatine Manchester, the sub-plots were becoming large plots," says Gower.

It was revealed that 16 English players had signed up for a rebel circuit of South Africa - banned from planetary athletics due to the fact that of Apartheid.

Not lone that, but Gower had been captured by the TV cameras of News astatine 10 making the V motion down his backmost to a heckler successful the crowd.

"Ted Dexter, the president of selectors, phoned maine and said we had occupation and that I needed to talk to the property to apologise," says Gower.

"I said 'no, we bash not. I person thing to apologise for'. With everything other that was going on, I told Ted helium could bash immoderate helium wanted to do.

"It made maine precise aggravated that thing arsenic insignificant arsenic that made it connected to News astatine 10 and became yet different cudgel with which to bushed maine implicit the caput with."

More was to travel connected the last greeting of the lucifer arsenic Gower checked retired of the Mottram Hall Hotel with the Ashes astir to beryllium sealed by the Australians.

"Halfway done the squad meal the nighttime earlier the game, we had tally retired of the vino chosen by Micky Stewart, the squad manager," helium recalls.

"When we were asked if we would similar much wine, I had a look astatine the list, which was outstanding. I looked astatine the Cheval Blanc, I can't retrieve which year, and asked somewhat disingenuously if I could spell for it astatine £180 a bottle.

"I got the motion of approval, truthful we ordered a mates of bottles, reasoning 'if thing else, astatine slightest the vino has been excellent'.

"The last greeting of the game, erstwhile we're leaving the hotel, Micky had to look astatine the bill. He thought it was a spot costly and spotted the details of the 2 bottles of Cheval Blanc.

"On apical of everything else, helium comes to maine and says 'captain, bash you deliberation you could put for a spot of a whip circular due to the fact that the vino measure was a spot excessively much'.

"I volition not repetition what I said to Micky."

The beaten skipper drove distant from Manchester feeling "low". Incredibly, Gower's adjacent crippled was lone 4 days aboriginal for his region Leicestershire - against the touring Australians.

He invited Border and David Boon to his location during the game. In a mentation of Sabrage - the enactment of opening a vessel of champagne with a sabre sword - Gower utilized an axe and nicked Border's look with a portion of flying glass.

Gower was sacked arsenic skipper astatine the extremity of the bid and did not circuit the West Indies the pursuing winter. He did, however, instrumentality to the England squad successful clip for the 1990-91 circuit of Australia, which produced his astir infamous Ashes moment.

England were 2-0 down, but Gower was successful bully form. He had top-scored successful some innings of the archetypal Test and made hundreds successful each of the adjacent two.

Still, helium struggled with the strict authorities of skipper Graham Gooch, possibly inspired by Gooch's adjacent narration with Border.

After 3 Tests, England were playing a circuit crippled successful Carrara connected the Gold Coast. Just crossed the road, Tiger Moth aeroplanes were taking disconnected connected scenic tours of the beaches. Gower could not resist.

"I'd got retired earlier luncheon connected time 3 and my mischievous broadside crept in. I was talking to Allan Lamb and said 'AJ, I mightiness instrumentality 1 of those planes up, it looks similar fun'. John Morris overheard the speech and asked if helium could travel to - 1 of the worst sentences helium spoke successful his life," says Gower.

"We enactment the flying headdress and goggles on. The aviator was called Bruce, who agreed to bash a low-level tally on the enactment of the pitch. The camera guys had agelong lenses and realised it indispensable person been me."

When Gower got backmost to the edifice that night, helium recovered helium had been summoned to spot squad manager Stewart the pursuing morning.

"I did apologise if I'd upset anyone, I conscionable thought it was harmless fun," said Gower. "Things similar professionalism, dedication and information were discussed.

"We had an hour-long determination wherever I pointed retired I'd made the apical people successful Brisbane twice, a 100 successful Melbourne and a 100 successful Sydney. Why don't you inquire the different 15 astir their motivation?

"They were acold excessively upset for their ain good. At 1 signifier it was rumoured they wanted to nonstop america home, which would person been a implicit over-reaction. The circuit declaration stated the maximum punishment was a £1,000 fine, which I paid connected the spot."

After the Tiger Moth fuss, Gower's bully signifier deserted him. He played the last 2 Tests of the series, but lone 3 of the 5 against Pakistan the pursuing summer.

He ne'er made different Test 100 and retired aft helium was near retired of the squad to circuit India successful the wintertime of 1992-93. When helium called clip connected his career, Gower was England's starring run-scorer successful Test cricket with 8,231.

"An Englishman oregon Australian with immoderate quality astatine cricket would emotion to beryllium progressive successful conscionable the 1 Ashes Test," says Gower.

"Over that play of 15 years oregon so, it was a postulation of bonzer events that helped signifier my life. It's thing indelible successful my bosom and mind.

"Some of the champion things that person happened to maine happened successful the people of playing cricket against Australia."

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The men's Ashes begins connected 16 June, with the multi-format women's Ashes getting nether mode six days later. BBC Sport volition person broad sum crossed TV, vigor and online of some series.