From weak link to lynchpin
Day two belonged almost entirely to England as Alastair Cook led the batting with another 'herculean' innings after Andrew Strauss's early departure
Liam Brickhill
25-Feb-2013
Day two belonged almost entirely to England as Alastair Cook led the batting with another 'herculean' innings after Andrew Strauss's early departure. Steve James paid tribute to the left-handed opener in The Telegraph, suggesting his back-to-basics approach was the key to his rejuvenation at the top of the order.
Cook can be a contradiction at times. He does not appear especially athletic. Sprinting does not come naturally. Indeed, Graeme Swann jokingly likens his style to that of 'Woody’ in Toy Story. His throwing arm is not strong. But he does endurance like Paula Radcliffe. He still looked as fresh as mint at stumps, even though he admitted: “At tea I was quite tired”. And he had only used one pair of gloves all day. When it was 37 degrees centigrade in the shade!
In The Guardian, Vic Marks chose to focus on the supremacy of England's fielding on a day that Australia let three clear chances slip through their grasp. Richard Halsall, England's fielding coach, has given the team the edge over Australia in a department that had hitherto been seen as a traditional weakness of English touring sides.
It was never thus. For decades the pattern was clear. On the vast expanses of unforgiving Australian Test grounds England tourists have been exposed as unathletic, slow and, quite frequently, old. By contrast, the Australians have been fast, slick and young. England were always second best in the field. They aren't any more.
In the same newspaper, David Hopps paid tribute to Jonathan Trott's contributions to England's Ashes contests and provided a fascinating insight into the thought process and technique of the man who now shares Herbert Sutcliffe's record for the highest average by an English Test batsman.
Trott logs life, analyses it for solutions, occasionally looks baffled by it. He thinks like he bats: in straight lines. Ask him how he has a Test average of 60.73 and he will probably frown slightly and explain that you simply divide the runs scored by the number of times out. England cricket fans have learned to love him. He would be the sort of practical neighbour you need; the one who appears in a thick winter coat to clear snow from your drive, the one who even keeps his own stock of rock salt.
In The Independent on Sunday, James Lawton also chose to focus on Trott's "quest for perfection", and in the same newspaper Bob Willis gives his own opinion on Cook's batting renaissance.
The biggest difference to me, though, is the way Cook is bending his front knee when he plays forward. That was a real problem for him when he had that thin trot of form – he was playing with a stiff front leg and either creating the opportunity of being bowled through the gateor getting his bat too far away from that front pad and giving the wicketkeeper and slips catching practice.
Liam Brickhill is a freelance journalist based in Cape Town