Alastair Cook

[bwildered]

Another batting  record for Alastair Cook , has he now holds most test runs scored in England , overtaking Graham Gooch .

[bwildered]

During his latest test innings, Cook moved from ninth to sixth in the all-time list of leading Test run-scorers, surpassing Mahela Jayawardene, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Brian Lara. He has now scored the most runs by a visiting batsmen at the MCG .
Wonder how many test records he now holds for England ?

[Valentines Park]

Cook moved from ninth to sixth in the all-time list of leading Test run-scorers

Still young enough to get to circa 20,000 test runs.

[LeedsExile]

Having questioned his position recently I am delighted to see him score heavily again. All thoughts of retirement can now be forgotten.

[Perov]

Getting accused by Topley senior of  costing England two wickets, .....by not advising them to have a review.

Poor old Cookie, I guess the comments wouldn't have been made if he was  a Hampshire player.

[honkytonk]

I can imagine Cook is really worried about what he has to say!!!

[IlfordEagle]

Getting accused by Topley senior of  costing England two wickets, .....by not advising them to have a review.

Poor old Cookie, I guess the comments wouldn't have been made if he was  a Hampshire player.

Can't the others make their own minds up then?

[Gilders]

The dismissals of Vince and Malan do raise some issues:

1.  A load of former players in the media are saying that they always knew if they edged it or not, so Vince and Malan should have known.  If they are pre DRS/snicko  players then how do they know how many of their own edges they did not know about?   They may think they were always right - as most ex players seem to - but they may have been wrong if there was no way of actually telling from third party evidence.

2.  Why did the batsman, the non-striker and the umpire not hear the nicks?

3.  Why is Toppers snr having a dig at Cook?  Was he supposed to have seen or heard the nicks if the ump and the strikers didn't?  Or is it simple pro Hampshire anti Essex rhetoric given Vince's involvement as well as Cook's?

4.  If the point of DRS is to eliminate real howlers, then the whole system needs reconsidering.  It has enabled two dismissals that are clearly wrong to stand.  I know this is the way it currently works (limited number of reviews, players have to choose, etc) but it has to be a silly system if it produces this outcome where a tv replay shows a clear not out yet the dismissal stands.

I think DRS has become too formulaic to allow common sense to come through. 

A few years ago I remember some common sense being applied albeit it worked against Essex.  There was an appeal in a T20 game for a leg side stumping of Ravi off Stevens.  it was referred to the third ump by the umpires.  The answer was not out stumped but in fact out bowled as the ball flicked the leg stump on the way through to the keeper and the third ump said so and that was the decision.  I think that using today's processes then if the question was 'out stumped?' the answer would have been 'not out stumped'.

BTW I thought the Broad dismissal was also very dubious.  I know you win some and you lose some over time but on the tv evidence available I cannot understand how Khawaja can possibly have caught it while face down on the floor and while sliding on top of it without grounding it.

[LeedsExile]

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/more-sport/chris-waters-the-ashes-alastair-cook-s-double-century-harks-back-to-a-forgotten-era-1-8930574

Nice tribute from a Yorkshire scribe

[Andy]

One thing that seemed to strike me about the Cook captaincy was that there was a tendency not to review for most incidents, whilst in the field at least.

So, I wonder whether there is a reflexive tendency in the England team that has built up over the years to hold fire on reviews (some homework there for someone)?  I feel that cricketers, English ones, think less and less about their game. Although Anderson seems to have drifted at time during the first three tests, he strikes me as someone who will do things his own way, but the newer players aren't in that position.

Conversely, certain Aussie batsmen always review when they are given out. I would hate to have Shane Watson round at my place for Christmas dinner...cranberry sauce or bread sauce, Shane? An alcoholic or non alcoholic drink with your turkey?

[bwildered]

Highest test score in carrying his bat. The records keep tumbling .
The review system was in its infancy during his captaincy, would suggest Broad is the chief instigator in over zealous  reviews .
Has the law changed, or does the batsmen now not get the benefit of doubt .

[tonk]

Can't blame Cook he is the same distance away as the umpire and they did not pick it up either.Maybe it is the gloves or the number of rubbers on the handle but both a bit weird I always knew if I got a nick.The other thing is they do not use hawkeye but a New Zealand system and that has apparently received a few queries although I don't know if they are all part of the same system.