*Official* Fourth Test at the MCG

[Hurricane]

bah that was the ball on his pads but he missed out even though they got the leg byes.

 

[GIMH]

Not sure I've ever seen Cook reach 30 at run a ball in Tests

 

[Woodster]

He can, his powers of concentration are very good and he gets himself through some tough situations. That doesn't change the fact that if you bowl in the right spots to him you can tie him down rather easily and get him into trouble. He's more limited than a number of other bats, but makes the most of what he's good at. Bar one series, he hasn't been much of a 'run machine' vs Australia. Doesn't make him a bad player, but nor is he a genius.

What he does extremely well is punish anything that is directed at his weaknesses.

Before The Ashes in England we heard all about what Cook would do, and I think some of us said then he wouldn't be much trouble if Australia got it in the right areas...he wasn't much trouble. Then when he was coming out here we heard that Australia would struggle against him because the extra bounce would make it harder for them to put pressure on him around off/he was due a score. They've largely got it in the right areas again and he has struggled.

He's got off to starts when we've been loose at the start of an innings, but so far our bowlers have tightened it up again and put him under pressure. It's a big ask to bowl in the right spots all the time to a decent batsman, it's not easy when you have slim margins for error. But, like we said twice before, if Australia continue to hit the right spots, Cook will likely continue to struggle. As would most batsmen really.

If they give Cook the opportunity to score runs then I have no doubt he will do so.

But because the area to bowl at Cook is obvious, it seems whenever he scores runs it's because the opposition bowled poorly, and if he's out cheaply then the bowlers have stuck it in the right place and he's failed to counter it. Cook isn't the type of attacking, flamboyant player that will initially look to put the pressure back on the bowler in the way a Warner-type player would. He aims to be more patient than his counterpart and subsequently his discipline frustrates the bowlers who then in an attempt to try something different are suitably punished.

I do agree with parts of what you're saying, but I don't believe it's as simple as bowl fullish around off stump and you'll tie him up and get him out. Only against Pakistan and New Zealand is he averaging less than 40, so not as easy as it sounds.

 

[GIMH]

See normally an opener going at Carberry's pace, or Root in the summer, gets a bit, well, frustrating. But Cook has been going at such a good lick that it hasn't mattered.

Tipping us to be bowled out for 364 with Carberry stranded on 8

 

[Woodster]

Should we be praising Carberry's patience here or questioning why he's not managing to tick the strike over better ?

 

[GIMH]

Would love a Carberry six now just because Bumble said that

 

[ajdude]

can'tberry

 

[Hurricane]

Carberry will get out in the next 3 overs.

 

[GIMH]

Should we be praising Carberry's patience here or questioning why he's not managing to tick the strike over better ?

For me, as I alluded to in my other post, because Cook is keeping the scoreboard ticking it's not causing any pressure.

 

[GIMH]

Should he really be bowling? Doesn't look fit enough to me

 

[ajdude]

good tactic this bringing Watson on, Clarke wants to finish the job

 

[91Jmay]

Carberry's biggest issue (aside from leaving balls that bowl him) is not being able to turn the strike over. Don't care about boundaries, he needs to be able to rotate better.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Should we be praising Carberry's patience here or questioning why he's not managing to tick the strike over better ?

That all depends what happens next. Australia are clearly going to persist with the round-the-wicket line at him so he needs to work out a method to handle that line of attack; we'll learn a lot about his temperament over this knock and at Sydney. It really does look, right now, as if he only has the work to leg, and with Australia bowling wide of off, he won't get it.

Expect maidens up until lunch.

EDIT: Hadn't taken into account 73mph half-trackers. Even Piers Morgan might have got bat on that.

 

[Adders]

Should we be praising Carberry's patience here or questioning why he's not managing to tick the strike over better ?

Nah, he's gotta be turning over the strike. Don't mind him be watchful especially while Cooks going well, but he can't stay stuck like this.

 

[morgieb]

Watson being fit to bowl is itstl.

 

[Spikey]

watson being unfit to bowl is itstl

 

[ajdude]

bowlers faster than Watson at the moment:

• Trent Copeland
• Michael Hussey
• Matthew Wade
• Marlon Samuels
• Darren Sammy

 

[Son Of Coco]

I do agree with parts of what you're saying, but I don't believe it's as simple as bowl fullish around off stump and you'll tie him up and get him out. Only against Pakistan and New Zealand is he averaging less than 40, so not as easy as it sounds.

It's not that simple no, you have to stick there and be able to move it around a bit. The margin for error is also very small, and gets smaller the longer he is in. Bowlers have to bowl well to him, generally, to get a result.

He averages mid-20s against us in all Ashes series bar one...and while that sounds like cherry-picking stats, we did bowl an absolute shower of **** in 2010/11. I agree it's good batting to see off a good spell and cash in later. If the bowling is both sides of the wicket from the outset though then it's just poor bowling. A good batsman takes full advantage of poor bowling.

 

[Tangles]

good tactic this bringing watson on, clarke wants to finish the job

wafg

 

[Cabinet96]

Geez Watson.