Ponting, sanga and Kallis could have been averaging about 70 in that period, even Clarke had a ridiculous run.

TBH sean even Nasser hussain said he found it remarkable that teams took ages to find him out as well.
"It did amaze me that it took so long for opposition bowlers to ‘work out’ Cook and realise that you cannot afford to feed his preference for the cut and pull."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cri...rue-great.html

Although reckon most of it was because bowlers from the opposition couldn't bowl all the time at his weak points and cook would wait for the bad balls.
Still remarkable though it only took what 2013 for all the teams to finally find his weakness after all the video and technical help all teams get.
Especially when it is stated players should be worked out in what 5-6 months.
They were times where cook was worked out like in 2009-2010 period but was quite remarkable that Australia and other teams didn't take note of why cook was struggling.

I'm not going to go to a daily mail link, but I disagree with you and Hussain, he has runs of form where he looks all at sea, but most attacks have attacked him just outside off-stump and full. Surely you realise that if you keep bowling that way it only takes a mild miscalculation and you're feeding the cut-stroke, hence why it's a damn sight easier to talk about than actually do, like most things when we're sitting on the sidelines.

Australia were an exception, but that's because Johnson and Siddle are brainless. Otherwise he has been attacked there for most of his career.

true, but thought most bowler bowled too short or the good/short length to cook unlike now where teams are bowling more full at him and essentially because of the lack of shots cook got the bowlers got more leeway than bowling the good length they did before where any slight mistake cook pounced on.
that the only thing I picked up on.
but yes you make a good point that it takes a slight mistake for the batsman to score runs.
Would be good if Hawkeye data was available reckon it would show the changes on the length bowlers bowled at cook during his career.

Essentially in the past think bowlers bowled the good length at cook which had a very small margin of error and the fuller length they bowl now which cook struggles more with.
you can essentially afford to bowl half volley at cook.

TBH Australia said at the time they thought Cook was a poor short ball player and look weak against the short ball so not sure they knew what they were doing.

Still can't believed they bowled short and wide to him.

It's clear why Johnson did it, because it worked for one series when he was bowling 100mph, should never have done it otherwise, but one attack isn't really representative of how people have tried to bowl at Cook, the Ashes isn't everything, I'd have thought you'd realise this Bhav.

Most teams have targeted what you have said they should do from my experience of watching Cook for over a decade. Every player as a perceived weakness which bowlers often try to bowl at them, when they're out of form it looks a major weakness, when not of they're good run-getters they counter it.

I think central contracts have helped massively with the longevity of the current crop

Not having to go back to the county treadmill between games must be a career extender

Yep definitely a factor, probably more so for the bowlers though.

When you think we had so many bowlers who just seemed to have a curtailed career when at times you'd have put money on them taking 300 plus, Fraser, Gough, Harmison, Hoggard, Flintoff and Swann yet they all seemed to fizzle out with injuries. Then there were players like Jones, Tremlett and Headley who had their careers tragically cut short.

Yes , agree with you. I think over bowling definitely was a factor with them when they weren't physically 100% fit

It always strikes me as odd that they delay operations/rehab so they can continue bowling

ie Stuart Broad and Mark Wood

stupid using that comment on bowlers since injuries can stop careers.
injures can even make bowlers less effective.

Well that's what happened to most of those bowlers I mentioned, a few retired reasonably near the top, but most faded away after continuous injury niggles.

If we assume tomorrow was a washout then Sri Lanka only had to keep going for another 3/4 hour or so to hold out for a draw so a bit tighter than "very comfortable".

a 9 wicket win is very comfortable

yeah if the weather had caused a loss of time tomorrow we might have ran out of time but can only comment on what did take place

A lot of damning with faint praise on here about Cook, middle order batsmen generally average more than openers for the reasons others have already stated.

I have a feeling another century is just around the corner now he has got the 10,000 runs off his back.

As for Jimmy he has a few years in him yet and his average and strike rate continues to improve all the time.

TMS have tweeted that Eranga has been reported for a suspect bowling action and will now have to undergo tests

England have announced an unchanged 12 man squad for the Third Test so Nick Compton will get another ( and perhaps his last) chance

Shaminda Eranga has been reported for a suspect action but is allowed to continue bowling whilst tests are carried out


http://www.espncricinfo.com/england-...y/1022111.html

Edit, just noticed that makeba72 has already posted this

That's OK - I'm a parent and therefore used to being ignored

Nah, retire from Tests now, Jimmy
meaning
Lancashire want him back desperately - as a batsman......

Funny that I thought Sri Lankans couldn't get called called for bunging


Not a good series and theyre only half way through !


Keyser_Soze1



I'm hoping both will be full of beans for the coming summer tests and push on at their current impressive levels of performance. Cook looked like a kid on Christmas morning in the post match interviews even that donkey compton managed a few shots by the end to finish off a very successful game !

Will anyone care if Lords is a draw and SL win all the one dayers to win the "Super Series"?

Suspect Strauss would doubt he want the Odi team to go backward and literally mirror every single Odi world failing cycle.
Anyway Sri Lanka won't even get close to England in any formats, not against this side where 300 is pretty much guranteed to be scored or chased down by England.

ICC trophy would be the pinnacle over a test series against Sri Lanka. Wouldn't surprise me if Strauss is more disappointed in an Odi series defeat than Sri Lanka winning a test match or drawing it.


really Strauss entire job depend on the 2019 world cup since he was brought in to make sure another failure doesn't happen.
ECB won't tolerate another 1999 home world cup or england poor rugby world cup last year.

Strauss essentially did the super series so the fans and the players actually think the ODI have the same sort of equal status to the test.

TBH in this series the odi should be more important anyway england were going to win the test series with their eyes shut but the odi series would tell england more about where they are in the white game before the 2017 Champions trophy and world cup.

Really against dud sides england should concentrate more on the white ball cricket.

Champion's Trophy Draw done for next summer

Two of cricket's traditional rivalries will be on show in the 2017 Champions Trophy, with hosts England and Australia in Group A, and India and Pakistan in Group B. Group A also contains New Zealand, which means a trans-Tasman clash as well in the first round.

The opening game of the tournament is between England and Bangladesh on June 1. Cardiff, The Oval and Edgbaston are the venues for the event, which comprises 15 matches in 18 days, with the final at The Oval on June 18.


http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci-icc/c...y/1022313.html

No West Indies though


The top eight sides in the ICC ODI rankings as of September 30, 2015 qualified for the event, with West Indies and Zimbabwe being the two Full Member countries that failed to make the cut

Tough draw for Ban, they probably would have liked Sri lanka and pakistan in the same group or one of them.
could be crucial for automatic qualification for the next world cup since I suspect it would be very close between Wi, sri lanka, pakistan and bangladesh and the cut off is 4 months after the tournament.

it does feel a bit bizarre that the holders of the t20 world cup wont even be participating

Shock would be if they don't participate in the next World Cup, really good chance one of Sri Lanka, Pakistan and wi will be in the qualification.

Bangladesh really hold the Aces since no one really wants to play them and so generally they play only games they can win or only at home where their again hold an advantage.

Wi and Pakistan really got in this mess by losing games, Bangladesh only did what was ask and won like 13 out 15 Odi game in the season.
Bangladesh were in a roll that one of the teams had to miss out and Bangladesh were never dropping point since none of the good teams were going to play them anytime soon and even if they did one win for Bangladesh would see their rating just rise even more.