Published: May 25, 2015, 07:30 AM (IST)
Edited: May 25, 2015, 01:28 PM (IST)
Alastair Cook will probably be the first to agree that is not the most attractive batsman to look at. He was always about runs — dozens and scores of them. Cook’s batsmanship was never about dazzling strokeplay; it was always about hanging around, and batting on and on and on and on.
But that was not quite happening. Summer of 766 was a thing of the past. Buried in memories were the 562 he amassed to win a series on Indian soil from out of nowhere. A new Alastair Cook had emerged on the horizon: 10 Tests, 523 runs, an average of 26.15 was not an Alastair Cook performance. READ: Dear Andrew Strauss, will Alastair Cook also be dropped
Cook lost the home series against Sri Lanka. England went down 0-1 following a defeat against India at Lord’s. when it came to the third Test at Rose Bowl, Cook scored 95 and 70 not out. The series turned on its head. Cook scored 79 at The Oval. But it was far from what Alastair Cook was capable of, for he was destined for great things, and anything short of hundreds was sub-par for Cook. READ: England have not been able to get their combination right since Cook-Compton
He was, after all, nominated as the heir of Sachin Tendulkar, for little after seven years since his debut Cook’s tally read 7,524 runs at 49.17 with 24 hundreds. Despite the illustrious history of English cricket, Cook had already scored more hundreds than anyone else. READ: Cook spoilt his own stew in ODIs
Cook had scored 130 against New Zealand at Headingley on May 27, 2013. Till then he had got to 95, but the three-figure mark had remained elusive. The Australians went after him during the back-to-back Ashes, and all that was left of him was a frail shadow of Tendulkar-in-making.
Other problems had cropped up elsewhere. England were mauled in One-Day Internationals (ODIs). Cook could not get it going in the 50-over format. He was axed from the team just before ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.
Elsewhere, the doors on Kevin Pietersen had been shut for good by Andrew Strauss, newly appointed Director of England Cricket. Strauss stood by his decision. Cook got involved in the ruckus; there were rumours that he had threatened to resign if Pietersen was recalled (though he denied it later). READ: Alastair Cook 2014 performance worst in English history
The West Indies tour did not start on a high note. Both England openers failed at North Sound, Cook with 11 and 13, Jonathan Trott with 0 and 4. England could not win the Test. Out came the knives again.
Once again, Cook came out with two match-winning fifties — 76 and 59 not out at St George’s. England won by 9 wickets. In the third Test at Kensington Oval he top-scored with 105 out of 257; but England lost by 5 wickets, and once again Cook’s hundred — the 26th of his Test career — went unnoticed.
Cook could have been dropped following this summer. Worse, he could have been replaced by a new captain after the series against New Zealand, and another man could have been leading England in The Ashes.
Cook was snared for 16 in the first innings. England were reduced to 30 for 4. The middle-order rose to the challenge, and they scored 389. New Zealand added 148 for the opening stand; reached 337 for 2; and eventually acquired a lead of 134. Day Three ended with England on 74 for 2. Ian Bell fell next morning without another run on the board.
Trevor Bailey; Mike Denness; Keith Fletcher; Graham Gooch; Nasser Hussain, Jack Russell: the Essex school of batsmanship has always been about clawing back from tight corners. Their overseas recruits have included Allan Border, Andy Flower, and Hashim Amla.
It was not a coincidence that Cook had walked out on Sunday with gritted teeth. The stand with Joe Root yielded 158; Root scored 84 to Cook’s 66. Ben Stokes slammed the fastest hundred at Lord’s; at the other end Cook was happy contributing 24 in a stand of 132.
He was not noticed. And yet he was there, leaving balls alone and pushing and nudging and prodding his way to his 50, then 100, then even 150. He faced 327 balls, of which he did not score from 238. He hit a mere 15 fours. He batted for eight hours, which was probably seven hours more than the fans expected him to and eight more than his critics wanted him to.
But Cook stood firm. There were DRS calls. There were edges. Wickets fell at the other end. Cook did not flinch. There were no unnecessary risks. The New Zealand bowlers seldom pitched up, and if they did, there were eager slips. So Cook left and defended, but whenever they strayed, he made sure he did not miss out on the singles.
Trent Boult tested Cook the most. Against Boult Cook did not score a run in the “V”. A mere two singles were all he obtained from in front of the wicket. He finished the day with an unbeaten 153. England had managed a lead of 295 with 4 wickets in hand. From a losing cause they are in a position to push for victory.
It was not the young limited-overs brigade that made it happen. The turnaround was caused by the man who was burdened with expectation since the early twenties, or even before that. Come at him you may, all guns blazing: he will live up to the task, his teeth gnarling, not willing to concede a single inch without a dogfight.
Bring them on. Cook has risen again.
(Abhishek Mukherjee is the Chief Editor and Cricket Historian at CricketCountry. He blogs here and can be followed on Twitter here.)
