***Official** West Indies in England***

[social]

Hahaha. Thorpe > Gower anyday.

Cook almost certainly has what it takes to be better than any - perhaps even the best since Boycott.

In Tests, that is. None of the aforementioned bar Thorpe were that good in ODIs.

Still relying on those stats eh Rich

I suggest you brush off some tapes of Gower and see how he plays the great fast bowlers of yesteryear - a thing of beauty

He was similar to Mark Waugh - easily good enough to average in the 50s in a really strong era but didnt cash in and protect his wicket just for the sake of improving his stats

 

[Richard]

Still relying on those stats eh Rich

No, on the simplistic stat (ie overall Tetst career average) Gower beats Thorpe. But Thorpe actually did more of note, if only by a relatively small margin.

I suggest you brush off some tapes of Gower and see how he plays the great fast bowlers of yesteryear - a thing of beauty

I've watched hundreds of Gower strokes, but the fact he was a better-looking batsman than Thorpe doesn't make him better.

He was similar to Mark Waugh - easily good enough to average in the 50s in a really strong era but didnt cash in and protect his wicket just for the sake of improving his stats

Thorpe played mostly in a tough era, indeed probably an even tougher one. Gower cashed-in as much as he could - ask him, he'll say one of the things he hates most is that people think of him as someone who should have done better. Just because he made things look effortless doesn't mean he wasn't trying his damndest.

 

[social]

Gower cashed-in as much as he could - ask him, he'll say one of the things he hates most is that people think of him as someone who should have done better. Just because he made things look effortless doesn't mean he wasn't trying his damndest.

Mark Waugh makes the same claim.

However, the fact is whilst he, for example, would be dismissed for 120 when trying to deposit someone into the neighbouring post-code, his brother would grind away to 150 not out.

That is the basis for the difference in their career averages.

Gower is exactly the same

BTW, you still recommending that Cook should spend the next few years in County Cricket so that Vaughan can get a game? He he he

 

[Richard]

Mark Waugh makes the same claim.

However, the fact is whilst he, for example, would be dismissed for 120 when trying to deposit someone into the neighbouring post-code, his brother would grind away to 150 not out.

That is the basis for the difference in their career averages.

Gower is exactly the same

Neither Waugh nor Gower played said strokes with a great deal of regularity. If they did, it was because the situation demanded it.

No batsmen as good as those two will ever play a stroke knowing there is a higher chance of it getting them out than coming-off (except in exceptional circumstances). Therefore I have no reason to doubt their claim that they were doing their utmost every time they reprisented their team (or, in Gower's case, England, as his domestic record reveals only too well that he was less full of care in the domestic game).

The simple fact is, they were often dismissed to strokes described by the not-so-wise as "lazy". Yet those same strokes were what made them the players they were, and if they did not play those "lazy" strokes (which in the vast majority of cases worked-out as planned) they'd never have been that good ITFP.

BTW, you still recommending that Cook should spend the next few years in County Cricket so that Vaughan can get a game? He he he

Erm, I've never recommended that. Where the blazes did you get the idea I did?

 

[Burgey]

BTW, you still recommending that Cook should spend the next few years in County Cricket so that Vaughan can get a game? He he he

What do you think of his off-stump technique? Still looks ordinary imo, but extremely good through the leg side.

Poor old Windies. Their bowling in the 1st session on a helpful wicket was PBO, just couldn't get enough in the right areas. Going to be a long tour, me thinks.

 

[Richard]

What do you think of his off-stump technique? Still looks ordinary imo, but extremely good through the leg side.

Most techniques will look ordinary when tested with the sort of bowling thrown his way last winter. It's unlikely he'll ever face an attack that unrelenting again in his career, really.

 

[Richard]

Liam Camps reviews the day. Get all you can, folks - this standard won't last to tomorrow.

 

[Burgey]

Most techniques will look ordinary when tested with the sort of bowling thrown his way last winter. It's unlikely he'll ever face an attack that unrelenting again in his career, really.

Probably right there.

Only saw the first session last night. Did the bowling get any better through the day?

 

[Richard]

It actually did, yes, though it was still hardly The Ritz at any point.

 

[marc71178]

Erm, I've never recommended that. Where the blazes did you get the idea I did?

So you weren't the one who suggested Cook should miss out if all were fit then?

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Liam Camps reviews the day. Get all you can, folks - this standard won't last to tomorrow.

Ah. At least that means the Dev League round is likely to be played tomorrow.

Cook for 401*, btw. (Nemi says please)

 

[social]

Erm, I've never recommended that. Where the blazes did you get the idea I did?

Hmmm, try here

http://www.cricketweb.net/forum/showpost.php?p=1161637&postcount=141

 

[Richard]

So you weren't the one who suggested Cook should miss out if all were fit then?

I suggested that should happen for a few years, did I?

No.

If all had been available (that includes Trescothick, of course) Cook would have been the one who missed-out if I was picking the team. But that was in full expectation of Cook eventually superseding Collingwood, possibly before too long.

 

[Richard]

Hmmm, try here

http://www.cricketweb.net/forum/showpost.php?p=1161637&postcount=141

Err, yes, "a year or so" really does suggest I was saying "a few years", doesn't it (very tempting to use the rolleyes here, but I'll resist).

 

[social]

Err, yes, "a year or so" really does suggest I was saying "a few years", doesn't it (very tempting to use the rolleyes here, but I'll resist).

Your defence of the indefensible should demand a " " but I'll settle for knowing that everyone is aware that your suggestion is as ludicrous now as it was then.

 

[social]

What do you think of his off-stump technique? Still looks ordinary imo, but extremely good through the leg side.

QUOTE]

Aside from his ability to score runs, there's a lot to like about his temperament and the way he keeps his head still/eyes square.

The latter aids his leg side play as he rarely seems to fall over to the off side.

Unfortunately, on occasion, it can be a weakness outside off when he plays at balls that arent beneath his eyeline and his bat is dragged away from his body as a consequence.

I subscribe to the theories of Garry Sobers, Majid Khan, Damien Martyn, etc where head positioning is more important than footwork

 

[Pup Clarke]

Erm, I've never recommended that. Where the blazes did you get the idea I did?

When you said that England should leave Cook out of the test team...

 

[Perm]

Good to see Cook tonning up, although I was disappointed that KP was dismissed. Means I have to watch Collingwood bat tonight, which doesn't do much for me.

 

[pinchy81]

ok this is a little belated but here it goes MATTY PRIOR **** YEA finally gets selected woop

 

[wpdavid]

Gower talked about how Cook builds his innings. That is such a big strength of Cook. What I love most is his temperament and composure. Never seems fazed and always seems to know what he is doing. Seems he belongs there - which often differentiates long standing test players from also rans. At just 22, these are all impressive signs.

The "always knows what he's doing" aspect is what strikes me. He has a game plan, and doesn't seem worried about trying to be something he's not. In that respect, the comparison with Strauss is striking, as AS regularly loses out by playing shots that are either dreadfully executed or just unnecessary. Ditto Vaughan, in recent years. Let's hope that Cook doesn't buy into the myth that you have to score at 4-an-over no matter what to open in tests nowadays.