Cook, supremo

[jimmy]

just an observation, Robert Key is one of the pundits on Sky and a very good one, i might add, but has he lost weight, to me he looks quite slim these days ?

As opposed to David East, who presented the Man of the Match award to Cookie.
Luckily I have a wide screen TV.

Also if he went to the Middle East for the money he has clearly not been spending it on his wardrobe.

you'd think with the heat out there he'd be sweating like.....someone who's bought a flat off plan for tower two at the county ground.

[IlfordEagle]

Congrats to Ally on an excellent innings, doing what he does best - holding England together & getting a big score.
What would England do without Cook (& also Root!) ??

[constable.p@gmail.com]

yes, it was a very good innings but would have liked him to go up several gears  when passed 200, i mean he is not exactly going to put bums on seats playing 13 hours like that, Root on the hand has every shot in the book

[Andy]

yes, it was a very good innings but would have liked him to go up several gears  when passed 200, i mean he is not exactly going to put bums on seats playing 13 hours like that, Root on the hand has every shot in the book

Yes, but Cook's patience earned Root the opportunity to play more freely from a tiring attack with the older ball. Chef is in many respects quite a limited batsman compared to, say, the young Gooch or Viv/Barry Richards or Gower/KP but - as it was said about another ECCC batsman Paul Gibb - whilst 2 or 3 Cooks in the top order would be intolerable, one is invaluable.

[constable.p@gmail.com]

true, but perhaps but just gives the impression that he is after the records, surely he could have accelerated a bit after 200, that is my only gripe to what was a superb innings.

[Gilders]

Cook's overall record in Asia is outstanding - he is the leading visiting batsman in tests in Asia by runs and hundreds and right up there by any measure.  Considering he doesn't look the most natural player of spin it's just amazing how effective he has been.  For full stats analysis see this article:

http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/937409.html

I think the current struggle that a very good side like SA are experiencing on slow turners puts things in context as well.   On that last trip to India England, principally Cook and KP plus Swann and Monty, outbatted and outbowled India in the same sort of spinner-friendly conditions as even AB and Amla are now struggling in!

Just a pity that for various reasons those other three who excelled on that tour are all now unavailable to England.

[bwildered]

Well that's what you get brought up on them slow burners at the Maldon peninsula !

[Andy]

Gilders, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised at cooks performance - don't forget Gooch was said by Warne to be one of the most difficult to bowl at and he has had a tremendous influence on chef's technique.

[Daren Mootoo]

The ICC have voted Cooky captain of their Test Team of 2015. Nuff said, but I am more interested in why he is not on the list for the BBC Sports Personality of The Year?

[IlfordEagle]

Amazed that no England cricketers got onto final 12 shortlist, surely Ally or more likely Joe Root or if not Broad should have featured?
Doubtless the GB Davis Cup winning team will win TOTY rather than the Ashes winning team.

[firehazard]

The ICC have voted Cooky captain of their Test Team of 2015. Nuff said, but I am more interested in why he is not on the list for the BBC Sports Personality of The Year?

I always regard it as a nonsense award anyway, but is the list in any way influenced by the lack of any cricket coverage on BBC TV?

[Slogger]

It's most odd that in a year when the Ashes were won that an England cricketer doesn't make a list of 12. Maybe there is something in the BBC TV coverage point, although I would argue that TMS is the BBC's leading radio sports programme. Looking at the selection panel there's no one with an obvious cricket interest on it. Gary Lineker, for example, wasn't on the panel.

[Daren Mootoo]

 After Cooky's annus horriblis in 2014, his turnaround this year was nothing short of stunning. Compare that to the candidates for 2015 SPOTY: they are cyclist Lizzie Armitstead, footballer Lucy Bronze, athlete Jessica Ennis-Hill, athlete Mo Farah, cyclist Chris Froome, boxer Tyson Fury, F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, tennis player Andy Murray, swimmer Adam Peaty, long-jumper Greg Rutherford, rugby league player Kevin Sinfield and gymnast Max Whitlock.

 Smacks of blimmin' BBC political correctness and if it's based largely on the sports they televise, then high time Sky stole a march on them and launched their own awards ceremony.

[Andy]

I presume that there is only one candidate for the SPOTY 201 award? 

[firehazard]

I presume that there is only one candidate for the SPOTY 201 award? 

Someone mentioned Jessica. I guessed Andy would appear soon...