Cork Appeals for Patience in Search for his Lost Art (5 Sep 1996)

6 September 1996

Cork appeals for patience in search for his lost art

Mark Nicholas finds the eyeballing bowler taking a long hard look at himself

ON TUESDAY in Taunton, on a bouncy pitch, Dominic Cork gave a reminder that he could bat. By hustle, bustle and by no little muscle, the Derbyshire and England all-rounder made 77 runs against Somerset and kept the championship dream alive.

Most of the usual strokes were there, defiant pulls and dismissive drives particularly, and there was Australian-style running between the wickets too, as screams of "push, push", when the ball scuttled to the third man boundary, and "run, running", when mid-off was caught kipping, disturbed the calm of life in the shadow of the Quantocks.

Derbyshire were a wobbly 132 for four when Cork had marched in, they were rollicking along at 286 for five when he was adjudged caught at the wicket and stuttered, in dismay, back to the dressing room.

"That`s a 90, two 80s and three 70s this season, damn," or something like it he said as he peeled off his armour. "I`ve batted so much better for Derby than for England this year. I think I`m getting too pumped up for England and must relax a bit and show a bit of patience, which is what I`ll do in Zimbabwe and New Zealand this winter."

If he goes to Zimbabwe that is. Ten days ago he was dropped by England, omitted from the one-day internationals for a rest, said the selectors. So, as is the structure of domestic cricket, he went for his "rest" to Chesterfield and helped bowl Derbyshire to victory.

"I don`t feel especially tired. I mean it`s the end of a long season, a long year in fact, but I`m no more tired than anyone else. I ache a bit, you know, the knees are sore, but what fast bowler doesn`t bowl in some sort of pain by September. I hate being singled out. If I`m not bowling well, fine, I understand. But let`s not blame it on knees or being knackered," he says.

The selectors though have a wider brief than whether Cork needs his feet up today or tomorrow. Top of their agenda is the visit of the Australians next summer, then a tour to the Caribbean, then the South Africans in England. They know that the slim Staffordshire lad, just 23 years old when he threw himself into international cricket little more than a year ago by taking seven for 43 against the West Indies at Lord`s, is gold dust. An English bowler able to upstage the opposition, a cricketer who gets under the enemy`s skin. Cork was not dropped in the old-fashioned sense, not that he has been himself the past couple of months, he is being preserved, bottled and stored for the mightier battles ahead.

Smart as the thinking seems, Cork is worried. "The selectors are the boss so I`ll do as they think best. But I want to be with the team during the full tour of Zimbabwe. I need the experience of more Test cricket and the chance of more Test wickets. I want to be part of a winning habit in a settled team. Perhaps they could rest me from the warm-up games, I don`t know, but I know I`ve earned my Test place and am pretty keen to keep hold of it."

What about those fabled knees?

"I had two operations on the left one two years ago and it`s perfect now, no problem. I have an inflamed area in the right knee which comes from the tendons and causes occasional problems. Though I`ll be resting before the tours I`ve planned a fitness programme with the same expert who did so much for John Crawley. We`ll do a lot of concentrated work through October and November on the quad muscles to give the knee greater protection. You know my limp? It`s not the knees you know, I`ve got one leg nearly two centimetres shorter than the other - no surgery can solve that!"

There were moments during the Pakistan series when Cork looked like he needed surgery, brain surgery. The exaggerated, demonic appealing, the confrontational eyeballing of his opponent, the plethora of angry bouncers, do not do justice to a skilful cricketer with a kinder nature than his public face and a deep respect for the game and its people. Perhaps the expectation of another Cork miracle has got to him. Perhaps he`s lost his marbles, or is it all just bravado in the hope of disguising a loss of form?

"There is an attempt at kidology for sure," he says. "I just could not make that Reader ball swing, and anyway knew that I wasn`t bowling as well as I had in South Africa. I don`t believe I`m being more aggressive than in South Africa, just less successful. If you`re not doing it, you`re up there to be shot down."

Nobody would want to extinguish that Cork belligerence, that naked competitive edge which is part of his attraction, only perhaps to dilute it and to direct it better. It appears he`s going that way himself.

"I agree I`ve bowled too short but I was getting driven easily when the ball didn`t swing and was worrying about opposing batsmen instead of getting on with what I do best, sticking to the basics of kissing the surface and pitching the ball up.

"Also, I`ve been running in too fast, over-attacking the crease in my eagerness to impose myself on the game. I need to relax, to think back to the smooth rhythm of Michael Holding who was a great influence. I`m learning all the time but I know I`ve the talent and believe I`ll be back at my best soon. I must stop worrying about the expectations."

THERE is a frankness, an honesty to the words of Dominic Cork which part explain his success as a cricketer. By no means does he think he has cracked it, only that he is well on the road as nearly 70 Test match wickets in the last year suggest. He is often in the Sky commentary box picking the brains of Bob Willis and Paul Allott and of his hero, Ian Botham, from whom he has inherited the siege mentality. They point out that he mustn`t carry the full can for an England bowling attack which is below par. Only that he must do himself and his team justice by relying on his natural attacking gifts and absolutely not be: a) trying to bowl too fast in the role of the sole aggressor, or b) reverting to stock defence in the role of others less capable.

Cork agrees and is revelling in these title-pushing days with Derbyshire and the opportuniy to be himself. In county cricket the Duke ball swings - "all over the shop" - and the pitches give the bowler a sniff. Pockets of wickets are being added to packets of runs and all hands are to the pump as the Australian management partnership of Dean Jones and Les Stillman have brought focus to a collection of various but undoubted talents.

You wouldn`t bet against them, given their leadership and the depth of character in their team. You wouldn`t bet against Cork either, brushing Zimbabwe and New Zealand aside and having his sleeves rolled and ready for the ultimate challenge, the return of the Ashes next summer.

Source :: The Electronic Telegraph