Posted by Many of you will say Alastair Cook proved us wrong by hitting 95 off 75 balls against Sri Lanka.
Our point was actually that you shouldn’t open with an anchor in one-day cricket. We say that your sensible batsman, your banker, should come in at three or four.
Wrong pigeonhole?
We kind of assumed that Alastair Cook would always play the anchor role, because up until now, he has. Yet in the fourth one-day international, he didn’t. He played like a proper one-day opener. If he can do that, we’re fine with his opening.
Open, hit the ball, score runs. We’re not against Alastair Cook; we’re against consolidating from the outset.
Playing the situation
Three years ago, we said that Cook would make a one-day cricketer. We said that a batsman who plays according to the situation is a good batsman and just because you only see him in one family of situations (Test cricket) doesn’t mean he doesn’t have it in him to play differently in another environment.
However, most of Cook’s one-day innings thus far have been kind of cloggy. The slog-sweep he brought in seemed like a one-note nod to more expansive cricket. Like a bad husband who brings flowers every week, it had the air of being an apologetic gesture designed to distract from other shortcomings rather than being anything more meaningful.
But this innings was better. We wouldn’t say we’re sold on Cook as a one-day opener, but we’re more impressed with him as a cricketer. He’s broadened his range.
Have we made ‘range’ a thing yet?
I for one accept your apology, KC.
It was big of you to apologise. Lesser writers would have parsed their earlier writings to infer that they had held a consistent view.
Thank goodness you are not one of the lesser sort.
Ged is absolutely right. I mean, you must look pretty darn silly now. You had just written an ENTIRE PIECE arguing he shouldn’t open. And unlike the little boy who lied about finishing his maths (note Bert, I didn’t say math) homework, you stood up in the class with your head held high in shame and apologized. Yes, you died a little inside, but you accepted the inevitability of it all. You painted your skin to make it thicker. You choked back the tears and bit back the shame. You, certainly, are no little girl.
Wait, what did Ged say again?
We do look pretty darn silly. It’s this T-shirt. The sleeves are weirdly rigid.
Also our face.
Well done DC. In the extremely rare cases when I express an opinion on anything, I try at least to be consistent with it. For example, I stand wholly behind my comment that the avoidance of use of all foreign expressions such as “math” in internet correspondence is the sine qua non of proper discourse. And I hate pretentious waffle as well. No, you’ll never catch me with my opinion trousers down, as seems to have happened here. Sad. Very sad.
That Matthew Hayden, he seems to be an intelligent, reasonable, and in some regards human commenter, don’t you think? I’ve always thought so.
We’ll see how he does when he doesn’t have the comfort of a low target and the possibility of rain. Pressure was off when the England bowlers knocked over SL cheaply, and he player expansively.
That said, I think Alastair Cook is the best batsman in the world right now. So what do I know.
I can’t see this ‘range’ thing becoming a thing unless you are able to reduce it to a simple equation involving ‘natural game’. Suresh Raina for one would be terrified of it.
I suggest:
Range = natural game + other games capable of being played
This just proves that if nothing else, at least his heart is big
This is why you didn’t used to have opinions.
The golden age is over.
To be honest, this is what happens when your opinions are forever grey, qualified and amorphous.
I think it’s best that opinions are qualified. They should stay at school until they’re 18. It’s for their own good.
No sorry daneel there are far too many over qualified opinions these days, it’s ridiculous that we have 50% of opinions going to blogs, in my day they’d have done a proper apprenticeship in the saloon bar.
Should opinions do National Service? It’d teach them some respect.
lets see if cook plays similarly while batting first or when chasin a target above 300.
Above 300? Scores like that are from the magical land where pixies live. England would never be able to chase a total that high.
A husband who brings flowers EVERY WEEK?
He’s a really bad husband. His shelves aren’t level and he can be a little bit of a sexist.
I almost bought my girlfriend flowers the other day, but then realised it might look a bit suspicious as to why I had done it so chose not to.
There’s the very definition of a thoughtful, considerate boyfriend.
My husband brings flowers every week!!!!!
We haven’t had a good crazy in a while now have we? Whatsherface from the Barmy Army seems to have buggered off and all.
How do QC? How long before you get bored of this?
Can somebody please say something about phone hacking?
Shane Warne is known for his phone habits. Shane Warne was always being targeted by the NotW.
Really people, we should have worked this phone hacking thing out years ago.
Anyone who watches Essex knows that Cook was always an excellent one day batsman.
Give him time & he’ll unify all the England captaincy belts.