November 18 Monday 2002
Gough's career may be over: MacLaurin

LONDON: England fast bowler Darren Gough may never play competitive cricket again, according to Ian MacLaurin, the outgoing chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Gough, 32, flew home from Australia on Monday after a knee injury forced him to give up hope of playing in the current Ashes series.

"Darren fit and well would be a great plus for us but it looks like it could be the end for him now," MacLaurin said in an interview with BBC radio on Sunday. "Bad legs for fast bowlers are not good news. I suspect it could well be the end for him and it would be very sad if that is the case," added MacLaurin, who steps down at the end of the year after six years as ECB chairman.

Gough played the last of his 56 tests against Australia last year but he did take part in this year's triangular one-day tournament against India and Sri Lanka.

"If I need another operation or some other sort of treatment, that will definitely be the last chance," Gough told the News of the World on Sunday. "But I could also be told I'm wasting my time. That it's all over already. I've come to terms with the fact that's what I could be told." Gough has taken 228 test wickets at an average of 27.57 since 
making his debut in 1994.