The prolific but patient partnership between Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook must bear more fruit in Abu Dhabi
They are two of the most sensible cricketers in the world and there is something undeniably reassuring about seeing Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook, captain and vice-captain, stride out to bat embodying so many "English" virtues as they go.
They are dedicated, dependable and they are damn good.
But they do not fit the identikit of the perfect opening pair. Ideally, the guidebooks tell us, opening partners should have contrasting qualities. One should be an aggressor, the other more cagey; it helps if one, but only one, is left-handed; they should favour different types of scoring shots ? one might be a driver, the other a cutter, one preferring the off-side, the other the leg. All of which should have the capacity to confuse hapless opening bowlers.
But Strauss and Cook have the same virtues. Both like nothing better than the cut shot and the clip off the legs and both are suspicious of too many cover drives. Both are prepared to wear bowlers down rather than decimate them with a flashing blade.
Moreover both possess a healthy sense of perspective. They may be the most prolific English opening pair in the history of the game and in Abu Dhabi they embark upon their 100th Test partnership together. Already they have gleaned 4,163 runs together, 914 more than Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe. Bashfully they acknowledge their records because we keep reminding them.
But Strauss and Cook also recognise that they are not necessarily the best. If statistics have any meaning ? and after a while in cricket they usually do ? Hobbs and Sutcliffe have that accolade by a country mile. In 38 innings together Hobbs and Sutcliffe averaged 87 runs per partnership; Strauss and Cook average 42 per partnership. No contest. No surprise.
Of the England opening pairs who have amassed over 1,000 runs together in the history of Test cricket Strauss and Cook come only 10th out of 13 if we judge them by the size of their average partnership. On that measurement after the masters, Hobbs and Sutcliffe, comes Hobbs and Wilfred Rhodes (2,146 runs at an average of 61 in 36 partnerships), Len Hutton and Cyril Washbrook (2,880 at 60 in 51), Mike Atherton and Graham Gooch (2,501 at 56 in 44). Then the name of Strauss appears not with Cook but alongside Marcus Trescothick (2,670 at 52 in 52).
The educated guess is that Strauss's alliance with Trescothick was more successful than the one with Cook mainly because he was playing better then. It is less likely to be an indication of Cook's shortcomings. However, there is an obvious contrast in the style and approach of Trescothick compared with that of Strauss or Cook. It may have been easier for the current England captain to bat in Trescothick's wake.
And he was younger then.
Strauss is seemingly sanguine about the fact that he has not scored a century in his past 17 innings and he does not expect the bunting to be hung out in Abu Dhabi for his 100th alliance with Cook. He knows he needs runs now for his team and himself. There are no doubts about his right to be in the team ? after all he is the captain and currently unassailable ? but he will start to feel uncomfortable if he does not contribute soon.
Contemplating his landmark with Cook before Wednesday's Test he said: "I don't think there's room for sentiment generally in the game. I think the fact we've opened together as much as we have done is a by-product of the fact we've had a settled side over the last couple of years and you only have a settled side when you're winning; so it's fantastic. Alastair and I know each other's game really well and I also think we feel that responsibility to get the team off to a good start." A more predictable response than "Hobbs and Sutcliffe? Also -rans".
Strauss and Cook impress with the volume of their runs. They do not necessarily have tardy spectators breaking into a sprint. The masterful Hobbs and the polished Sutcliffe surely achieved that. So too did Bob Barber and Gooch, belligerent antidotes to the young and old Geoffrey Boycott.
In recent times the prospect of a Michael Vaughan-Trescothick opening partnership demanded a prompt arrival at the ground.
Yet none have been so durable, few have been so pragmatic as Cook and Strauss. England are lucky to have them. But the best ever? No. One last statistic to remind us that in some ways they remain in the pack: ahead of the Abu Dhabi Test Pakistan's opening pair, Mohammad Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar, have scored 1,136 runs in 29 innings together. Their average per partnership? Forty-two, the same as England's opening pair.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2012/jan/24/andrew-strauss-alastair-cook-england
No comments:
Post a Comment