Cook takes the red pill
Following an unsatisfactory start to the summer, Alastair Cook, England's captain in waiting, came into his own with a timely century at The Oval just when the worries were beginning to mount with the Ashes in mind
Kanishkaa Balachandran
25-Feb-2013
Following an unsatisfactory start to the summer, Alastair Cook, England's captain in waiting, came into his own with a timely century at The Oval just when the worries were beginning to mount with the Ashes in mind. Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower were desperate for him to get back in to some form, and he didn't disappoint, writes David Hopps in the Guardian.
Cook does not seem the type to read motivational books, a point in his favour if so, but a growing sense of need brought motivation nevertheless. Before play began, he did something very English in its politeness and handed around a box of biscuits and perhaps vowed at that moment he was not about to bat like a custard cream.
In the Daily Mail, Nasser Hussain compares Cook's knock to Andew Strauss's face-saving century in Napier two years ago which more than just revived his career.
This was all about Cook’s mindset more than his technique. Yes, he wasn’t looking back at his bat in his stance, which was a good sign and one that showed he wasn’t worrying too much about his technique. But the key was that he had cleared his mind and was determined to be positive.
In the Independent, David Lloyd says the Last Chance Saloon has shifted from Cook to Kevin Pietersen, who's now due for a big score.
Of England's current top order, Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood have walked out to bat for England knowing that one more flop would almost certainly see them cast into the wilderness while Pietersen is trying quite a few people's patience of late. And Jonathan Trott and Eoin Morgan can rest assured their turn will come.
In the Telegraph, Simon Hughes writes that two elements played a big role in Pakistan's transformation after tea on the third day - reverse swing and the doosra.
Ajmal has both deliveries at his command and excellent disguise. Not one of the England batsmen read him confidently. This is partly because he bowls each delivery with a scrambled seam, so the batsman cannot use the seam as a guide to which way the ball is rotating. It is largely guesswork until someone has been in for a while.
Kanishkaa Balachandran is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo