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alastair-cook
England’s double century allergy
By Rich Abbott Sunday, last week, 3 Comments »
It was a shame that Alastair Cook fell short of posting a double century in Chittagong, though not particularly surprising. That England tend not to push the limits of triple figure scoring is not news, but rarely can this fact have been more starkly evident than in this list of the 50 highest Test scores of 2000-2009. Members of the England dressing room feature twice, but unfortunately even we can’t claim Andy Flower’s 232* for Zimbabwe v India in 2000 as our own. Hasn’t stopped us in the past I hear you cry…
Unsurprisingly, the subcontinent rules with 60 per-cent of the scores being made there, and Sri Lanka (12 scores on the list) and India (11) proving the fattest run-gorgers. But England’s sole contribution – Kevin Pietersen’s 226 v West Indies, 2007 – looks anorexic when paraded next to that of their Antipodean, South African and West Indian foes, who are collectively responsible for 21 knocks from the list. Stephen Fleming alone betters England’s record by making the top 20 twice – Stephen Fleming! – while Virender Sehwag features a less-surprising-but-even-more-extraordinary four times.
An Englishman scoring a big hundred is rare and to be cherished. It’s like finding a four-leaf clover – whereas a Sehwag double ton is like finding a daisy – and as such I can fondly reel a (relatively short) list off the top of my head (Rob Key v West Indies ‘04, Trescothick v South Africa and Pakistan ‘05, Paul Collingwood v Austr… let’s not go there… etc.) Such knocks stand out and part of me values such rarity. Another, larger part would like to see a couple more English names on any similar list made in ten years time.
3 Comments »Strauss deserves a break
By Rich Abbott 2 months ago, 2 Comments »
Not just from the cricket, but also from those criticising the move to rest him for the upcoming Bangladesh tour.
This time last year, England were in some disarray. Having waded through the debris of the Pietersen-Moores debacle, confirmation of their struggles was about to manifest itself in the form of a Test series defeat in the West Indies. The one plus of this trying period was the form of Andrew Strauss, which improved with his newly-acquired captaincy.
With the hundreds flowing – including three consecutive tons in the West Indies – he proved a strong and popular leader. His influence on the Ashes last summer was as great as Flintoff’s in 2005, and achieved without anywhere near the same level of help from his teammates. As England’s only reliable batsman at this time, he returned to the ODI set-up, in a move that will see him lead England at the next World Cup. In South Africa, England lost only two matches under his charge, but at last signs of weariness began to show – mainly in his batting.
He’s had a hell of a year, and but for him, England may have had the year from hell. With no commitments until the start of the county season, his batteries will be suitably recharged for another packed summer, not to mention the next Ashes, only ten months away.
The life of any England captain is finite. Strauss’s is likely to end through tear-stained eyes at some press conference in the future, and England need to prolong that date for as long as possible. Cook will have a chance to lead the side against Bangladesh, which makes sense, because as Atherton himself hints, it would be nice to have an indication that England have a replacement ready for when Strauss finally does call it a day.
2 Comments »Cape Town: day two
By Rich Abbott 2 months ago, 2 Comments »
The Cape Town breeze has a habit of stealing your hat from your head and making you look silly by flying off again every time you bend down to pick it up. England experienced a day like that today: every time they looked to be catching up with South Africa, their progress was halted by the loss of a wicket.
The day started well, with South Africa only able to add 12 to their overnight score. But wickets fell with frustrating regularity during England’s innings, with hard-fought partnerships shattered as they entered the middle-ground somewhere between decent and very useful. Steyn and Morkel exploited the pitch well, and Morkel in particular looks to be back on top of his game.
The biggest plus of England’s day, was arguably the continued resurgence of Alastair Cook, who made 65. He, more than anyone, looks to have benefitted from the wisdom of Graham Gooch, who joined up with the squad for a short stretch earlier on the tour. Today Cook gave a thorough demonstration of his job description: to bat in an obdurate manner, value his wicket and time in the middle above all else and to support his teammates – a more flashy, entertaining breed.
So he fell some way short of three figures, which should of course feature somewhere on the job spec, but he did offer stubborn resistance. He no longer looks like a walking wicket, and since the first Test, he’s looked – as he did when he burst onto the scene – like he’s made for Test cricket. His first boundary was greeted with a blast of “I’m a believer” by the stadium stereo. By sticking with him, England have shown they clearly are believers, and the way he bided his time, wasn’t afraid to leave the ball and stuck around for just under four hours, shows why.
For a while it looked like a Cook and Bell story was brewing, but it wasn’t to be. Both will be disappointed with the manner of their dismissals, not least because of the hard work they wasted. But Bell too played well for his 48. No doubt the same old accusations will be levelled at him, but having entered the fray with England in trouble, he did at least depart with the scoreline 101 runs healthier.
When stumps were called, England looked once again to be just catching up with their hat. Swann and Prior are capable of overtaking it tomorrow morning. The pitch is offering a fine contest between bat and ball, and another exciting day beckons.
2 Comments »Surely this is the end for Harmison
By Will last year, mid-October, 3 Comments »
Well what an odd feeling it was reading (as opposed to doing, but I digress entirely) the England selection today. No Ravi Bopara, whose cocksure waves to the pavilion against West Indies to acknowledge his hundreds were greeted with initial surprise, followed by widespread admission that England had on their hands a great talent. His arrogance should therefore be embraced. We did, but he regressed without so much as a whimper.
And no Steve Harmison, presumably for the last time. He himself gave England a ridiculous ultimatum at the end of the Ashes that he didn’t want to be a part-time England player. Right – so, that’s full-time then Steve, except you don’t tour very well, you’re as consistent as a bowl of porridge with a sausage stuck in it, and you retired yourself from ODIs. And then you unretired. For his and his family’s sake, if not the media’s – it’s incredibly frustrating writing about players whose belief in their ability is so at odds with their results – let this be the last time we speak of Harmison in an England shirt.
His replacement is hardly a shining example of consistency himself, but at least he has youth on his side. For now. Liam Plunkett has had a fairly decent season, but more a surprise – and a pleasant one too – is the name Luke Wright. He’s quick with the ball and potentially a powerful hitter, with plenty of bottom-hand, and undeniably quick in the field, but Tests will stretch him to the absolute limit. I’ve always thought he has a bit of ticker about him, but his technique could be cruelly exposed by South Africa’s seamers.
England weren’t finished there with the giggles. Saj Mahmood – ha! – and Alastair Cook – honk! – were called up to the ODI side. In fairness, as much as it genuinely pains me to say, Cook went bonkers a couple of times this season for Essex in domestic ODIs. But, still, you can’t help feeling he might not fare quite as well against a side of South Africa’s quality. I hope he does. As for Mahmood, well, who honestly knows where the ball’s going to go, but at least we can enjoy his befuddled facial expressions as a result.
3 Comments »Time to take stock and try again
By Mark Tilley last year, mid-March, 4 Comments »
A great deal has been mentioned already on the subject of England’s series defeat in the West Indies. It’s an odd thing; England didn’t necessarily play their worst cricket we’ve seen and, at times, dominated the West Indies. Indeed, Andrew Strauss can point to two key sessions where had his side picked up just a few tail-end wickets, then they would have won the series (the last wicket stand in Antigua and yesterday’s tense finish in Trinidad). However, what is patently obvious is that good Test teams would have made more of those opportunities. Dominant sides like South Africa, Australia and India would have found the extra spark in those moments to do what was needed and win the game.
Tom Fordyce picks upon this point in his BBC blog. He also talks about the need for winning momentum in the run up to the looming Ashes series. Before that heart-stopping triumph in 2005, England won series in both the Caribbean and South Africa, as well as a summer whitewash over the New Zealand and West Indies in 2004. England had the mentality and the aura of a winning side. Under the astute leadership of Michael Vaughan, they were fresh, confident and effective.
One can argue that the quality of players back then was greatly superior than that of the current crop. But the bare facts still make for stark reading; England have now lost three consecutive Test series and are in poor, poor form. And whilst a few weeks ago some were saying that England need not worry about their own tribulations as the Australians were in a sharp decline of their own, those of that opinion need only look at the remarkable and supremely impressive resurgence of the Aussies down in South Africa. As much as I loathe to say it, they’re back and they’re looking ridiculously formidable.
As ludicrous as it sounds, there were precious few positives that England can reflect on in the aftermath of their defeat. Andrew Strauss embodies a man possessed with the desire to score as many runs as possible and it is clear that the captaincy of the side is driving him on and on. Alastair Cook finally got the ‘no century in ages’ monkey off his back and scored that elusive Test hundred, albeit in a nothing situation on a pitch more akin to a road that a competitive wicket. Ravi Bopara, Matt Prior and Paul Collingwood also notched up much needed runs, in a variety of situations, which will help their own personal form and confidence.
Stuart Broad bowled like a identikit version on a young Glenn McGrath. Naggingly accurate and massively consistent, he bowled to an immaculate line, picked up the prized wicket of Guyanese defensive wall Shivnarine Chanderpaul three times and bagged his first Test five wicket haul in Jamaica. He may not have the raw pace of Steve Harmison or Andrew Flintoff but a reliable, line and length bowler is just what England need and his runs at number eight are ideal for the the inevitable England batting collapse. Duncan Fletcher must rue not having him around when he was coach.
Regardless of individual promise, it is abundantly clear that England have problems – problems that require immediate and urgent attention if they are to ever get out of this decline and start becoming an competent Test side again. Will that era be shepherded in with a glorious Ashes victory this summer? At the moment, you’d pick up seriously long odds.
4 Comments »Who should England drop? You decide
By Will last year, mid-February, 12 Comments »
Given England’s current debacle, it’s high-time we all did what England fans love to do: pretend we’re the selectors. It’s all very well everyone moaning about how dire the situation is when we all know how gleeful we really are. Britons can’t cope with success; we do, however, do a great line in depression and cynicism. This is our time. Stand tall, England fans, and show the world how we thrive in this meadow of misery.
I’ve chosen Cook, Bell, Harmison and Collingwood as the four candidates in the firing line, and you can choose a maximum of two to be dropped. So, vote in the poll and leave a comment with your reasoning.
12 Comments »Alastair Cook’s defence
By Mark Tilley last year, mid-January, 8 Comments »
I recently got my hands on the annual ‘England’s Summer of Cricket’ DVD, giving me a chance to re-live the unconvincing victories over New Zealand and the entertaining series with South Africa, albeit a series that England lost. It was all good fun, even though I was painfully reminded how desperately poor England were at times.
One thing that struck me as being noteworthy, however, was the form and the scores of Alastair Cook, with particular attention to the latter half of the summer. Cook, without a three figure Test score since December 2007 against Sri Lanka in Galle, has been criticised in some quarters over the last year, mainly due to that precise reason. Inability to convert good scores has been a problem afflicting English batsmen for some time but many have singled Cook out. No-one is suggesting he lose his place, but his golden boy status of his early career has most likely faded out now.
As a fan of Cook, watching him last summer was, at times, frustrating for me but never wholly disappointing. What many tend to forget about the Essex opener is that he has made a fifty in each game since the opening test with South Africa back in July. His scores in each game from then reads: 60, 60, 76, 67, 52 and 50.
Of course, these numbers are coupled with relative failures in the corresponding innings of the match. But it suggests that Cook is in touch and has been for a while.
Another impressive thing to note is that those scores were made against quality opposition. The South African attack was a fearsome one and often blew the English away and the last two scores were made in tough conditions in the subcontinent, against an excellent Indian bowling attack. Cook may have been unable to post the big totals against New Zealand but when the quicker and more skilled bowlers asked questions of him, he generally had a positive answer.
Cook is a stylish batsman – not necessarily an entertaining one in the Kevin Pietersen genre but definitely an effective one. His preferred method of accumulation is by staying in and occupying the crease. If you need a man in this England team to really grind out a score, it’s certainly Cook. He remains one of England best and, if you ask me, an essential part of the teams Ashes hopes.
He does desperately need a hundred, there is no hiding away from that fact. But before people write him off prematurely, maybe they should look at the number of runs he has actually scored. Fifties don’t win you a Test match, granted, but they can set you up pretty nicely more often than not. And they’re better than ducks.
What does everyone else make of Cook’s perceived lack of form? Answers and arguments below please.
8 Comments »Green and bland
By Will 2 years ago, mid-October, 1 Comment »
Freddie Auld has reviewed Alastair Cook’s autobiography, and I have to agree with his thoughts:
It would be far too easy to compare Alastair Cook’s new autobiography with his batting: determined and dependable, with the odd thrill. But sadly, it isn’t even that. For determined, read drab; for dependable, “dreary”; and as for the odd thrill, er, Cook had a game of darts with Freddie and Harmy on the eve of his Test debut. And that’s about as good as it gets.
Most Cooky fans, of whom I am one myself, will be disappointed with his first, shamefully premature effort. The blurb promises a “fascinating insight” into one of the most “exciting and brightest players to burst on to the cricketing scene in recent years”. So I was hoping for juicy anecdotes about the Essex dressing room, the latter years of Duncan Fletcher’s reign, the disastrous Ashes campaign, the jelly bean files, and Michael Vaughan’s retirement. But no.
It’s no slight against Cook that I/we didn’t particularly engage with his book. He is simply too young. Roger Moore, who is about 102, has only just released his. For all Cook’s promise – and that’s what it remains, frankly – he hasn’t lived enough to occupy an entire book yet. In 10 years, I expect and hope the sequel to do him and his career justice.
1 Comment »Pietersen’s first hundred against South Africa
By Will 2 years ago, mid-July, 5 Comments »
I need sleep. But briefly:
- Remarkably controlled innings from Pietersen, both in the circumstances of the match and the opposition. One of the best I’ve seen from him.
- South Africa were mostly disappointing and at times very disappointing. Morne Morkel looks the real deal, but the whole attack’s inexperience should worry South African supporters. England dominated.
- The ovation to greet Pietersen’s hundred was pretty special. When did Lord’s, or an English crowd, last stand for so long?
- South Africa look overweight. This is unfounded, but the likes of Smith, Kallis, Boucher are carrying a few extra pounds. Granted, they all pump iron these days, but with the exception of AB de Villiers this team is lacking the gazelles which once made them so attractive to watch in the field.
- Makhaya Ntini has boundless energy, but even he might tire by the end of this series. He’s got a lot of bowling to do.
- I’d have gone for Nel instead of Cricinfo’s Paul Harris. He did not impress.
- 75% of Dale Steyn’s wickets are to right-handers.
- Why does Michael Vaughan always look so astonished when he’s bowled by a straight (albeit swinging) delivery?
- Alastair Cook is a younger, slightly more elegant Graeme Smith.
- Ian Bell bats like god on days like today. Needs a monstrous hundred tomorrow still, though.
An enthralling start to the series. Highlight of the day? Smith chewing on his lower lip while semi-applauding Pietersen’s hundred. Oh the agony of it…
5 Comments »Catching into contention
By Will 2 years ago, mid-March, 5 Comments »
What a genuinely extraordinary day of Test cricket. My boss and I meandered through proceedings much as England did, as Stephen Fleming and Jamie How looked increasingly confident, before an hour of brilliance took over. New Zealand’s bravado cost them dear. (scorecard)
So flat did England look that New Zealand confidently mucked around with their lineup in an attempt to chivvy their run-rate. But in doing so, they let England through the backdoor and allied with some astonishing catching – the like of which I haven’t seen an England side take for years – we’re in for a corker of a final day.
Matthew Hoggard’s catch to dismiss Jamie How was a wonderfully athletic salmon-leap at deep midwicket. A Youtube classic for sure. But the real sensation – and that is what his catching has been in this Test – was Alastair Cook who added two more snaffles to his three in the first innings, one of which was an outstanding two-handed leap to his left. When an average fielder pulls off a fine catch, we all dismiss it as a) marvellous / wonderful / slightly hilarious and b) a fluke to be savoured, not expected. But when has one fielder, who was previously considered nothing short of a liability, taken so many corking catches in a Test? Remarkable.
However, isn’t it odd that a flurry of catches can make an average team look really rather good? England, as Andrew Miller points out in his verdict, probably don’t deserve to be in this situation; they bowled like drains in the first innings and their batsmen have showed all the urgency of an asthmatic mole.
Some of you will no doubt tick me off for not praising England – and yes, Ryan Sidebottom richly deserved his hat-trick – and you’re quite welcome to call me a cynical old bugger. But for now, let’s just savour the fact that a dead Test match has fizzed into life with one day to go. Who needs one-dayers?
5 Comments »Alastair Cook shocks us and himself
By Will 2 years ago, at the start of March, 9 Comments »
Although it was slow going at times, the first day in Hamilton was quite engrossing. Both teams sparred in the first session, then New Zealand threw away a number of their wickets with some dreadfully sloppy shots, and they go into the second day pretty much on level footing with England. England don’t quite have their noses in front…though perhaps one nostril.
What a day Alastair Cook had, and how entertaining it was to watch the surprise on his face at each of his three catches. The first was a lifter in the gully which almost knocked him backwards – not a difficult chance but nevertheless expertly taken. His second, a salmon-leaping effort in the gully to dismiss Stephen Fleming, was an absolute corker (it’s not on Youtube yet – do leave a comment if you find it). Plucking it one-handed to his right, he threw the ball away in that nonchalant fashion which has become popular, but even he couldn’t believe he’d held on. Since his debut, Cook has looked more arthritic than athletic in the field, but perhaps this is the turning point. England need a good gully – Ashley Giles was as safe as houses there.
England’s outfielding was generally over zealous – overthrows galore and stupid shies at the stumps – but their catching today was faultless and as good as I’ve seen since the 2005 Ashes.
But it was a curious day, and not just for Cook’s catching. Steve Harmison rarely reached 80mph; Paul Collingwood averaged above 75mph; Ryan Sidebottom was comfortably the fastest with a mean mean of 86mph and Matthew Hoggard bowled like a drain. Sidebottom is decidedly slippery nowadays – what the hell’s going on?
9 Comments »England’s beauty tips
By Will 2 years ago, at the start of February, 2 Comments »
What key attributes do England need in order to succeed in New Zealand? Moisturiser and paper pants. The full horror show can be watched at The Times.
2 Comments »Brit Blog Awards 2007
By Will 3 years ago, mid-April, 8 Comments »
Apparently I’ve been nominated in the Sport category of the not-too-famous Brit Blog Awards 2007. Thanks to whoever voted or nominated me. According to Chris from the PR firm representing Ask and Metro, “the BOBB’s were launched earlier in the year and are designed to discover the most talented wrtiers in the blogosphere”. I shouldn’t laugh, but that typo did make me chuckle…
Alastair Cook is one of the judges…so I hope he wasn’t put off by anything I’ve said here, nor by the comments from you angry fans. Behave yourselves.
The big question remains as yet unanswered: what do I win if I win?
8 Comments »Now that’s Test cricket!
By Scott 4 years ago, at the start of December, 5 Comments »
Right then, that’s the sort of cricket I want to see.
Tough, hard as nails, no mucking about, just getting in down and dirty.
Before we have any complaints that England ‘batted slow’, I just want to point out that it used to be always like this. Steve Waugh’s first day as captain was in the West Indies and Australia crawled to be 6 for 174 at stumps on Day 1. Off the full 90 overs. Of course, you don’t want to rush when you are facing Walsh and Ambrose.
And Australia went on to win that game by a mile.
No, today’s play was classic cricket, at its best. The Adelaide Oval was packed, the pitch was perfect, so it was just head to head between batsmen and bowlers. And a lot of what we saw in Brisbane flowed through to this game. England can bat well enough, but they just let themselves down with poor concentration. Strauss, Cook and Bell all gave their wickets away, after playing themselves in. These guys just have to kick themselves, because they’ll never get a better place to bat.
Not that it was that easy out there, because Australia did bowl well. Clark was the pick of the bowlers, even though he was confused as to why he didn’t bowl more. To be honest, I wasn’t entirely surprised myself- Clark was bowling beautiful lines and all, but you want to be bowling Lee in conditions like this. Lee bowled plenty of rubbish between his best bowling, and that is actually more likely to get you a wicket
That’s how Bell got himself out.
Even though England have had a strong day, as an Australian I’m not too worried yet. Once both sides have had a bat, it will be easier to tell who is placed the best. Australia’s batsmen are good at concentrating as well, and if England back themselves to score 450, Australia’s game-plan will be to first get something like that themselves, then, if possible, to build a first innings lead and try to erase the worry of a fourth innings chase.
But having said that, it has been a very good day for England and they will sleep well tonight.
5 Comments »Cook joins the Taffia
By Will 4 years ago, mid-October, 4 Comments »
Welsh people are called Taffs. There is an Italian criminal underworld known as the Mafia. Add a sprinkling of, erm, nothing and you get the Taffia. Alastair Cook, from Essex – although you couldn’t tell by his accent – is half Welsh. This surely is as dull as it gets, but you can read more here if you wish.
It’s absolutely pelting down here in Devon and I’ve been evacuated from the beach to the house. Evacuation is probably the wrong word to use for the local beach, as Slapton Sands is where hundreds (if not thousands) of Americans died during an exercise (Exercise Tiger) prior to the Normandy landings. The beach’s makeup – slate and mainly pebbles – was considered similar to Omaha, on the French coast and therefore ideal preparation for the landings. It was the biggest exercise on allied soil of its kind and, such was the importance placed on it that live ammunition was used.
It all went disasterously wrong. Initially it was said German U-Boats appeared from nowhere and gunned them all down but the US failed to reveal the casualty list for a number of years, increasing fears of a coverup. These days, it is widely considered the event was a momumental American cock-up – a “blue on blue”).
Might aswell tell you about the tank too. In the 1970s a bloke called Ken (can’t remember his surname) had a breakdown and resorted to beachcombing the Sands. He was told by friends there was an object a mile out to sea and it turned out to be an American Sherman tank. There was still a coverup by the Americans about Exercise Tiger but he was eventually allowed to purchase it – for $50! The British Navy and Americans refused to help, so this bloke Ken hired divers and equipment and effectively pulled it out himself. Pretty cool story I reckon. There’s a rumour the tank tracks worked perfectly when they dragged it onto the sands…but I doubt it, what with the rust etc.
Here endeth the lesson.
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