***Official*** 1st Test at Brisbane

[Woodster]

Ha. He's a spud who's had one good series against us when our bowling was all time ****.

Cook's series averages against Australia
06/07 - 27.60
09 - 24.66
10/11 - 127.66
13 - 27.70
13/14 - 24.60
15 - 36.66

He'll average in the 20s against us just like he usually does.

Well, yes when you break it down like that!

Cook grinds out the runs, any failures and he comes under scrutiny as do most players when you get over 30 years of age. The Aussie attack may not have been at its peak when he scored all those runs but I'm sure Johnson, Siddle and Watson were around (three of the attack) and they all featured in 2015, so not all that different.

Whether the stats back it up or not, Cook has made runs against better attacks than this Aussie attack, albeit a very good attack, and I believe he will score runs.

 

[Starfighter]

In the same vein, I can't help but feel you are a bit too optimistic.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Tbf to Cook, even most of the greatest batsmen of all time have a couple of bogey countries. He just gets more **** for it since the Ashes are the most important series in the calendar for England.

I don't think it's very likely he smashes a double hundred or anything, but as long as he can atleast stay out there for a bit and see off the new ball (especially at Adelaide), he'd have done an ok job.

 

[SeamUp]

Getting heated. Some of the Barmy Army chanting at David Warner and his wife Candice.

Ashes: Cricket Australia scatter Barmy Army around Gabba | Daily Mail Online

Candice Warner refuses to back down from Barmy Army slurs | Daily Mail Online

 

[the big bambino]

Think England are cooked and rooted.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Getting heated. Some of the Barmy Army chanting at David Warner and his wife Candice.

Ashes: Cricket Australia scatter Barmy Army around Gabba | Daily Mail Online

Candice Warner refuses to back down from Barmy Army slurs | Daily Mail Online

Fmd that was the one positive Adders had

 

[vcs]

Shocking that they would stoop so low as to slander such a dignified and erudite family as the Warners.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Reminder that it's the daily mail, people.

 

[Woodster]

In the same vein, I can't help but feel you are a bit too optimistic.

Possibly mate, and being an Essex fan aswell this may be leading me into hopeful bias!

 

[Spark]

Going after families is a bit iffy IMO. They did it to Mitchell Johnson too.

 

[Bijed]

If Warner struggles during the series, I wonder if he'll blame being distracted by the songs about his family and use it as some kind of escape goat

Seriously though, I like the Barmy Army but I'm not a fan of bringing player's families into things like this

 

[S.Kennedy]

Who is Candice Warner and why should I care?

Edit,

I just put her into wiki. Jesus, she's being around the block a bit hasn't she? Even David Walliams was having it off with her at one stage haha

 

[Son Of Coco]

Well, yes when you break it down like that!

Cook grinds out the runs, any failures and he comes under scrutiny as do most players when you get over 30 years of age. The Aussie attack may not have been at its peak when he scored all those runs but I'm sure Johnson, Siddle and Watson were around (three of the attack) and they all featured in 2015, so not all that different.

Whether the stats back it up or not, Cook has made runs against better attacks than this Aussie attack, albeit a very good attack, and I believe he will score runs.

We bowled one of the biggest steaming piles of **** I've ever seen delivered over a test match series of any length. Perth aside, it was shocking. I remember saying at the time that I found it hard to believe guys whose job it was to be good at cricket seemingly struggled to hit the same spot twice, We bowled every possible line and length. Sometimes in the one delivery.

 

[Spark]

Well, yes when you break it down like that!

Cook grinds out the runs, any failures and he comes under scrutiny as do most players when you get over 30 years of age. The Aussie attack may not have been at its peak when he scored all those runs but I'm sure Johnson, Siddle and Watson were around (three of the attack) and they all featured in 2015, so not all that different.

Whether the stats back it up or not, Cook has made runs against better attacks than this Aussie attack, albeit a very good attack, and I believe he will score runs.

They were garbage though. Like properly, properly bad:

Xavier Doherty was playing ffs. Cook had a strike rate of 65 throughout that series, which tells you all you need to know.

 

[Spark]

We bowled one of the biggest steaming piles of **** I've ever seen delivered over a test match series of any length. Perth aside, it was shocking. I remember saying at the time that I found it hard to believe guys whose job it was to be good at cricket seemingly struggled to hit the same spot twice, We bowled every possible line and length. Sometimes in the one delivery.

The Sydney test genuinely featured some of the worst bowling at Test level I have ever seen. Slow, loopy full tosses first over with the new ball.

 

[Woodster]

We bowled one of the biggest steaming piles of **** I've ever seen delivered over a test match series of any length. Perth aside, it was shocking. I remember saying at the time that I found it hard to believe guys whose job it was to be good at cricket seemingly struggled to hit the same spot twice, We bowled every possible line and length. Sometimes in the one delivery.

They were garbage though. Like properly, properly bad:

Xavier Doherty was playing ffs. Cook had a strike rate of 65 throughout that series, which tells you all you need to know.

The Sydney test genuinely featured some of the worst bowling at Test level I have ever seen. Slow, loopy full tosses first over with the new ball.

I appreciate that and I'm not suggesting they were on top form or were a collectively strong group at all. Alastair Cook has scored runs against the very best attacks, better than this current attack, yes his strike rate being 65 in that series does suggest he got a lot more loose stuff than you'd expect, it doesn't really bother Cook whether it's at 65 or 45 to be fair, he'll guts it out if need be.

 

[Spark]

He hasn't for ages now though, not against the top attacks. Like, 5+ years now.

Idk, Cook just hasn't been that impressive since his peak. 4500 @ 41 in the last 5 years (so 60+ Tests) is OK, but it's hardly the record of someone who is nailed on to score loads against a quality attack. EDIT: And a grand total of 3 fifty-plus scores in his last 11 innings.

What I'm saying is that I'm not hugely worried about him making a load of runs against us tbh.

 

[Woodster]

He hasn't for ages now though, not against the top attacks. Like, 5+ years now.

Idk, Cook just hasn't been that impressive since his peak. 4500 @ 41 in the last 5 years (so 60+ Tests) is OK, but it's hardly the record of someone who is nailed on to score loads against a quality attack. EDIT: And a grand total of 3 fifty-plus scores in his last 11 innings.

What I'm saying is that I'm not hugely worried about him making a load of runs against us tbh.

And that's fair enough.

His conversion rate has dropped in the last few years, now free from the pressures of captaincy during the rough times, I believe he can still score heavily for England. You're not worried about him and that's understandable and completely your opinion. I, on the other hand, expect him to stand up during this series knowing the reliance England still have on him and Joe Root, despite the encouraging signs from the others in the first innings at Brisbane.

During those last five years he's still proved he can score runs against the best, just hasn't got the three figures often enough, maybe the end of a captaincy tenure taking its toll.

 

[Spark]

In fact, when is this example of Cook having a really good series against a genuinely world-class pace attack? Like, 2008-13 SA, or 2013 Aus? I can only find one: 2008 against SA, with 329@47 with 4 fifties, being what I'd call a good series.

 

[Spark]

And that's fair enough.

His conversion rate has dropped in the last few years, now free from the pressures of captaincy during the rough times, I believe he can still score heavily for England. You're not worried about him and that's understandable and completely your opinion. I, on the other hand, expect him to stand up during this series knowing the reliance England still have on him and Joe Root, despite the encouraging signs from the others in the first innings at Brisbane.

During those last five years he's still proved he can score runs against the best, just hasn't got the three figures often enough, maybe the end of a captaincy tenure taking its toll.

He really hasn't though, unless you describe the NZ pace attack as "the best".

Look through it yourself: http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...3;spanval1=span;template=results;type=batting

Standouts are 16 Tests against Australia and 8 against South Africa, averaging sub-30 (!!!).

I don't quite agree with social's pronouncement that he's always been basically poor against quality fast bowling (I think pre-2012 he showed it in patches) but I certainly see where it comes from.