Coronis
International Coach
Still perfectly fine to play 15 matches every summer for the next 5-6 years. He wimped out like a baby. He didn’t even bother going to the Anderson route of resting every odd test if fatigue was his issue.
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Alastair Cook vs Mahela Jayawardene
- Thread starter sayon basak
- Start date
PlayerComparisons
International Vice-Captain
He didn’t even play white ball cricket so not sure workload is an excuse. He would probably still be Englands best opener too.
BazBall21
International Captain
Rest and rotation etc doesn't seem to apply to batsmen in the same way. People like settled batting lineups and bowling is a bigger strain so rest/rotation is more of a norm with them.
BazBall21
International Captain
I think this is drifting into an insinuation that I'm biased to England players. Why would I make excuses for Cook? I'm not a big fan of him and have always said that on here. I voted for Laxman and Clarke over Cook.
PlayerComparisons
International Vice-Captain
Oh no I don’t think you’re biased mate. Sorry if it came across that way.
PlayerComparisons
International Vice-Captain
Yea you’re consistent with that’s so it’s all good. I actually agree with your pace > spin logic a bit. (Starting to think Root might be better than Younis but going to wait a year or two to be sure).
Johan
State Vice-Captain
Personally always thought Cook was one of those guys who kind of just did everything he wanted to do and didn't think there was much more to do, so just retired early rather than waste years as a clear shadow of himself, I don't mind him going early to be honest, 161 test matches is a lot, especially with 60 as a captain when he was never suited for that role, it's fine to be mentally worn down after that.
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BazBall21
International Captain
Yeah. A reasonable point made by Coronis and PC that a declining Cook would still have been our best opener, but he felt he'd had enough and he was a good servant.
BazBall21
International Captain
I think in the Cook v Mahela case, Cook is just a bit more versatile, and yeah I tend to favour versatility over immense prowess in a confined set of conditions.
Chin Music
State Vice-Captain
I think Cook's form was a bit more average in the last couple of years with Essex. He was still clearly way to good for many military medium pacers up until that point though. Cook was actually pretty ordinary in test matches since 2013. He had his high points of course, but regularly struggled against good pace attacks, Australia in 2013 both home and away most obviously, but he didn't do well against South Africa either. He was 28 years old in 2013, so it wasn't really an age thing, More that his game had been found out by the highest class quicks.
BazBall21
International Captain
Yeah. He was past his best, was never the best player against quality, and good pace attacks and/or spicy pace-friendly conditions came very frequently in England's schedule from 2019-2021. It would have been a real struggle for him.
Great servant to English cricket, but I don't think we lost much by him retiring when he did, whereas Coronis' point is suggesting we did.
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Chin Music
State Vice-Captain
Cook's peak is probably the best of any English modern batter if we take that from being between his ton in the home 2010 Pakistan series and the end of the New Zealand series in 2013 he averaged 60.85 and scored 13 of his 33 test tons. His record either side of this was very much low 40s, and that was for a 4 year and 5 year period respectively. I do think that there is a tendency amongst England fans to put him on a pedestal to which I don't think his overall batting truly belongs. Not saying he isn't a very good player, but there is a reason why in a recent poll done that Boycott and Gooch were evaluated to better players. I would also add that Alec Stewart as an opening bat alone and Marcus Trescothck are at least equal in quality if not better than Cook. Averages can't always be taken as the only value in assessing players, no matter that they are of course useful.
BazBall21
International Captain
Boycott and Gooch were both significantly better players than Cook in my opinion.
Chin Music
State Vice-Captain
Cook, could never ever have played Gooch's 1991 ton knock against Windies. I'm not sure he could have played the 1993 knock against Warne et al at Old Trafford. His (Gooch's) level of skill against all styles of bowling was magnificent, even if I have vivid recollections of Terry Alderman wobbling in during the 1989 series.....
BazBall21
International Captain
Gooch also had an elite tour of WI and a very good series v peak Wasim/Waqar. Don't think Cook can repeat either of those feats either. GG also had a good tour against a strong Australian attack; the bowling on the 2010-11 tour was below par hence every English batter cashed in except an ageing Collingwood, and Cook never really did the business in any other Ashes series. Gooch had more flexibility for when quick runs were needed too.
sayon basak
International Debutant
I would rather watch Peter May over Ken Barrington. Doesn't mean anything.
yes it does. Its one of the reasons why Ken Barrington is generally not seen as a top tier ATG cricketer despite his average.
sayon basak
International Debutant
Yeah it may deduct some merit points from the batsmans ratings, it wouldn't make ken Barrington worse than Denis Compton or May, would it? Considering elegance alone, we should conclude Jayawardene>Kallis.