Cook Vs the WI quartet of the 80s

[Athlai]

That's as maybe, but hasn't batting equipment improved to a much greater extent than bowling equipment. Pitches have become flatter etc. thus making batting relatively easier compared to bowling thus negating the improvements in athleticism. Cook's argument is complete tosh.

Doesn't dismiss the complexity of the argument I think, more indicates that things have changed. And if in other sport bowlers are faster and stronger and fitter then why not consider how cricket may have changed and how past great attacks may come up short in todays game?

Personally I reckon bowling today is just in a bit of a trough and I do rate the 80s attacks as far superior.

 

[smash84]

One way to look at it is through chains I reckon......

Wasim played with the crop of the bowlers of 70s/80s and he also played with some of the current crop of bowlers. Not so sure he rates the current crop that highly. To Wasim Malcolm Marshall was the greatest fast bowler that he ever saw or played against but I guess that does not solve the pace debate. I guess the pace of bowlers has generally increased over time but maybe the quality (that is the ability to move the ball) hasn't really improved much or has gone down.

 

[Jacknife]

didn't it start with the fact that cook didn't do too well against amer and asif in england a few months ago? and that that pakistan attack was better than the australian one against whom he scored a bucketload of runs. sort of...

Tbf no one, except for Trott, came out of that series looking great, but as the commentators were saying at the time, the conditions were some of the most difficult they'd seen in England in a long time. Cook was also in a bad slump in form, during the summer, even before Pakistan came to town.

 

[smash84]

Cook was also in a bad slump in form, during the summer, even before Pakistan came to town.

Exactly.

Quite rich for someone who had been in such terrible nick before the Ashes to be commenting on the WI quartet's competence.

 

[Borges]

I'm beginning to have serious doubts about whether Cook actually said anything of this kind.

For one, no other news source, not even cricinfo, has picked up on the story. Two, AFAIK, those comments are completely out of character for someone like Cook, who has always been one of the more urbane of the English players.

 

[Jacknife]

Exactly.

Quite rich for someone who had been in such terrible nick before the Ashes to be commenting on the WI quartet's competence.

All batsmen have slumps in form and it doesn't take away from the points he made, if he did make them, whether you think he's right or wrong is another thing. He doesn't question the WI bowling competence or how great they were when they bowled.
I read it as and it is a topic talked about greatly by fans all over the world, has bowling regressed over the last 10-15 years and is modern bowling not as fast as it used to be.
I bet it is something that gets on the modern batsman's nerves, when older players and commentators, comment on how things, were so much harder in their day and that they faced much better, faster bowlers.
When they held that fastest bowler competition back in '79, guys like Holding topped out at 141, Roberts 138, Thommo 148 and Croft 139, obviously timing gear and not in a match situation will effect the times, but the times are similar to guys around today.

 

[Jacknife]

I'm beginning to have serious doubts about whether Cook actually said anything of this kind.

For one, no other news source, not even cricinfo, has picked up on the story. Two, AFAIK, those comments are completely out of character for someone like Cook, who has always been one of the more urbane of the English players.

Said the same mate, surely someone like Cricinfo or other news outlets around the world, would have loved to run this interview and Cook comes across as a intelligent bloke, who thinks before he speaks.

 

[Howe_zat]

Still pretty sceptical about the whole thing to be honest.

Wanna see cook vs steyn in SA or a good english pitch.Will see if he can walk the walk when facing ATG lvl at their peak bowling first time in his career.

2nd Test: South Africa v England at Durban, Dec 26-30, 2009 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

ftr.

He averages about 10 less at home than away. Still averages more in England than Sehwag, Gayle, Hayden or Katich, for example.

 

[Blaze 18]

Didn't Cook score a hundred against Pakistan in the test England lost? Or am I misremembering?

EDIT : Yes, he did

 

[vcs]

Didn't Cook score a hundred against Pakistan in the test England lost? Or am I misremembering?

EDIT : [URL="http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/426415.html]Yes, he did [/URL]

Yeah, it was pretty much the only score he made in that series.

 

[GIMH]

He might not have played the Ashes but for that innings. Pretty scary thought tbh

 

[Burgey]

I'm beginning to have serious doubts about whether Cook actually said anything of this kind.

For one, no other news source, not even cricinfo, has picked up on the story. Two, AFAIK, those comments are completely out of character for someone like Cook, who has always been one of the more urbane of the English players.

Said the same mate, surely someone like Cricinfo or other news outlets around the world, would have loved to run this interview and Cook comes across as a intelligent bloke, who thinks before he speaks.

Still pretty sceptical about the whole thing to be honest.



2nd Test: South Africa v England at Durban, Dec 26-30, 2009 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

ftr.

He averages about 10 less at home than away. Still averages more in England than Sehwag, Gayle, Hayden or Katich, for example.

The comments seem completely in character to me. Arrogant tosspot.

I thi k you're giving him far too much credit calling him intelligent too. The monotonic voice, the vacant stare. It all fits.

So even though there's no other source, I'm choosing to believe the numpty troll of an OP. Until Cook denies it.

Which he won't, because he likely hasn't heard about it, because it's tosh.

Still, always better to believe the worst about a Pommy sportsman. It's usually not far from the truth.

 

[smash84]

The comments seem completely in character to me. Arrogant tosspot.

I thi k you're giving him far too much credit calling him intelligent too. The monotonic voice, the vacant stare. It all fits.

So even though there's no other source, I'm choosing to believe the numpty troll of an OP. Until Cook denies it.

Which he won't, because he likely hasn't heard about it, because it's tosh.

Still, always better to believe the worst about a Pommy sportsman. It's usually not far from the truth.

 

[Austerlitz]

Face reminds me of the punk cody rhodes from wwe my brother watches sometimes..lol

 

[fredfertang]

Having now read the whole article I suspect the line about Edwards might have been a wind up but, cutting through the hyperbole, I can certainly see Burgey's point

.... and no you can't call a bloke intelligent when he says thinks like that to journalists when he thinks he's "off the record", which I'm pretty sure is what has happened here

 

[GIMH]

The comments seem completely in character to me. Arrogant tosspot.

I thi k you're giving him far too much credit calling him intelligent too. The monotonic voice, the vacant stare. It all fits.

So even though there's no other source, I'm choosing to believe the numpty troll of an OP. Until Cook denies it.

Which he won't, because he likely hasn't heard about it, because it's tosh.

Still, always better to believe the worst about a Pommy sportsman. It's usually not far from the truth.

 

[silentstriker]

Meh, sportsstars are arrogant newsflash.

 

[Bun]

haha borgey

 

[shivfan]

Err, not to say that Holding and co. wouldn't dominate Cook and other opening batsmen now...but I highly doubt the 97mph figure.

Michael Holding

"Standing 6ft 4 1/2in tall, Holding was all grace and showed unmistakable quality, class and speed off a long rhythmic run to the wicket. In this same series with the introduction of the speed gun technology, Michael Holding still only twenty one was a shade faster than the Australian Jeff Thomson. Holdings fastest ball was clock at 97 mph,"

But, as I said, Holding pointed out in his autobiography that although he bowled very fast in Australia, he was expensive because he lacked control. In later series, he learnt to vary his pace, mixing it up with slower balls and very quick ones.

The fastest spell of pace bowling I've ever seen was at Sabina Park in 1986, when Patrick Patterson made his debut, and destroyed England. I think Ian Botham made a similar observation. I have not seen anyone in the present bowl as fast as Patterson did on that day.

I don't think Cook is qualified to talk about this, because he never watched Patterson et al bowl. It would be more interesting to hear Botham's view on the subject, because he faced the WI quartet, and as a commentator, he's watched the present group of players.

Interestingly, Patterson never learnt how to bowl anything other than fast, so he was one-dimensional, and didn't last long....

 

[shivfan]

I'm beginning to have serious doubts about whether Cook actually said anything of this kind.

For one, no other news source, not even cricinfo, has picked up on the story. Two, AFAIK, those comments are completely out of character for someone like Cook, who has always been one of the more urbane of the English players.

Are you saying that a 'reputable' English paper such as the Evening Standard might have made the story up?

Surely not....