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Cook Off

Red Astaire

Member Of 'The Toilets At The Harry Fan Club..
Member
Ahhh Sad times. One of my favourite players set to quit the international scene after the last test at the Oval. It is definitely the right time though. I was there in Brisbane in 2011 checking his sublime cut shots as he tore the Aussie attack a new one. He got a standing ovation from the entire Gabba as he left the field with 230+ runs. Still number 6 in the all-time run record in the history of cricket is some achievement.
 
The record-breaker
■ Most Test runs for England - 12,254
■ Most Test centuries for England - 32
■ Most 150+ scores by England player - 11
■ Most Test appearances for England - 160
■ Most consecutive Test appearances by any player - 158
■ Most Tests as England captain - 59
■ Most catches by England player - 173
 
Great player and a class act.

Probably the right time, although id be happier if there was an obvious solution.

I hear Ian Bell wants to come back....
 
146 runs in the last test to end his career top 5

One of thise great double centuries of his...
 
Ahhh Sad times. One of my favourite players set to quit the international scene after the last test at the Oval. It is definitely the right time though. I was there in Brisbane in 2011 checking his sublime cut shots as he tore the Aussie attack a new one. He got a standing ovation from the entire Gabba as he left the field with 230+ runs. Still number 6 in the all-time run record in the history of cricket is some achievement.

Sad times indeed. Remember him breaking through at 19 under the tutelage of Graham Gooch. Even KP had nice words.

I have the DVD set of the series you mentioned, and it’s basically 8 hours of Cook late-cutting some hapless Aussie cunt to the rope
 
You can't argue with Cook's career stats. In my opinion he owed his success to mental powers of concentration more than batting skills. He basically had two shots, the pull to the leg side off his hip, and the cut to the off side, which was often the cause of his getting out when he top-edged the ball.

I would say that as a captain he was OK and did the right things, without ever being inspirational. As far as I can remember he never got in the papers for the wrong reasons.
 
I thought this was going to be a 6CMs cook off, with us competing to be 6CMs masterchef champ.

As it is, yes, Cook has had incredible moments, but has been iwoefully inconsistent for a long while. In fact, that's wrong – he has been consistent, just not in a good way. I wonder if he may come back after a year or so with Essex though, if he gets his mojo back? There appears to be a serious dearth of talent in respect of English openers. Where are they?
 
The Indian openers have had an unsuccessful test series in England too.

I heard an interesting view expressed on TMS. It's not that opening batsmen are bad, but that opening bowlers are getting cleverer with the new ball. I tend to sympathise with the openers, trying to cope with the shiny new ball that seams and swings so much. Keaton Jennings recent dismissal typified this I thought. Bumrah sent down a few deliveries that swung away from him, and then one fiendish ball that swung into him and took his wicket. Jennings could not have expected that.
 
The Indian openers have had an unsuccessful test series in England too.

I heard an interesting view expressed on TMS. It's not that opening batsmen are bad, but that opening bowlers are getting cleverer with the new ball. I tend to sympathise with the openers, trying to cope with the shiny new ball that seams and swings so much. Keaton Jennings recent dismissal typified this I thought. Bumrah sent down a few deliveries that swung away from him, and then one fiendish ball that swung into him and took his wicket. Jennings could not have expected that.

That's true to a large extent. And opening in English conditions with a swinging Duke ball is surely the toughest test for any opening batsman. However, English openers have been failing for a long time before this series, against the less dynamic Kookaburra ball, and against all varieties of bowling attacks.


*On a side note, I think it would even the Ashes up, and give each side a better chance of an away victory if the Duke was used in Oz and the Kookaburra used here.
 
Delighted he got that. Fairly docile pitch, bowlers demoralised and all that, but it's still quite an effort after all those disappointing innings. It's just a shame he faded like he did without more of a fight - he should have tried working again with Gooch or another coach, tried shaking things up a bit - but he's never been that thoughtful a character. He just seemed to lose the will to stop the decline. A shame, because he really ought to have two or three more years in Test cricket, given his ability, but I guess it burns some out sooner than others. A nice ending, though, for a nice bloke.
 
As Keaton Jennings is ripe for dropping, the England selectors will have the tricky task of finding two opening batsmen, without any obvious candidates standing out.

I wonder what Cookie's reaction would be if they asked him nicely if he would consider staying on? That would be flattering.
 
As Keaton Jennings is ripe for dropping, the England selectors will have the tricky task of finding two opening batsmen, without any obvious candidates standing out.

I wonder what Cookie's reaction would be if they asked him nicely if he would consider staying on? That would be flattering.
Yeah I know what you mean. The guy is cruising on 117 at the mo. Seems absurd that he is retiring but I get why he is. Remember not all pitches will be as accommodating. Bowing out in style is fucking cool.
 
As Keaton Jennings is ripe for dropping, the England selectors will have the tricky task of finding two opening batsmen, without any obvious candidates standing out.

I wonder what Cookie's reaction would be if they asked him nicely if he would consider staying on? That would be flattering.

It's hard to work out what the spectacularly oleaginous Ed Smith might do - apart from stare lovingly at himself in the mirror for most of each day - but I doubt Cook would reconsider after this valedictory innings has gone so well. He's got a new baby due to be born any day now as well.

It is pretty awful mismanagement that there's been no real grooming of any successor during these past two or more years, even as Cook himself was visibly in decline. I guess Hameed is the one the powers-that-be have hung their hopes on, but even as a Lancashire supporter I have to admit he looks not only shot at the moment but also, possibly, already 'worked out' by many run-of-the-mill county bowlers. It's a long way back for him. Apart from that there's yet more round pegs for square holes, or ageing openers who've previously been untried. A bit of a shambles.
 
I don't see it improving unless they reorganise the pay structure, make it more performance related. Say for the openers, you get paid per ball faced. For the middle order, you get paid for strike rate, for part-time bowlers you get paid for your economy rate, for new ball bowlers you get paid per wicket. Young players are only going to work on the skills they think will get them into the IPL and the money, so you need to make them think twice about doing that by providing alternative financial incentives. Otherwise it will be a long wait to find another half-competent opening batsmen.
 
There will be young players who these days think they may as well pack up if they can't play the quick and powerful shots that get you well-paid in 20/20 cricket, and maybe a few could be convinced they could actually have a pretty good career, and a central contract, if they concentrate on the different discipline of opening the innings. But a lot of it seems psychological - look at how controlled Stokes and Buttler can be when they need to be, while Root seems to lose his focus when he comes in at 3 rather than 4, even though, the way our top order batsmen have collapsed this summer, there's barely any difference in terms of time and the state of the new ball!
 
I'd put that down to Root having more shit constantly swirling around his limited brain thanks to being captain.
 
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