Cook's phenomenal numbers in Asia

In the end, the series scoreline was an unflattering 2-0 against England, and while the performances of the spinners and several of their batsmen was disappointing, there were other aspects that were right out of the top drawer: James Anderson and Stuart Broad were outstanding, while their captain led from the front almost every time he walked out to bat. Alastair Cook started the series with a double-century, then passed 50 once in each of the other two Tests, and also had a 49. In all, he faced 950 deliveries in the series - 25% of the total balls faced by all England batsmen - and underlined yet again why he is one of the best overseas Test batsmen to have ever played in Asia.

Cook's numbers in Asia are phenomenal: in eight series there, he has averaged more than 50 five times, and over 60 four times. His aggregate of 2252 is the highest in Asia, almost 200 runs better than the next best, and he isn't done yet. Batting in Asia requires a monumental amount of patience and temperament - apart from fine technique against spin - and Cook has shown those qualities in ample measure, becoming the first non-Asian batsman to face 5000-plus deliveries in the continent. In this series alone he played 950, which is the third-highest for an England batsman in a series of three or fewer Tests in Asia (among series where balls-faced data is available). In the 2012-13 four-Test series in India, he faced 1285 balls, scoring 562 runs in eight innings.

In 21 Tests in Asia, Cook's average is 60.86, which is among the best for non-Asian batsmen who have scored 1000-plus runs in the continent. His average outside Asia is 44.54 in 101 Tests, which is similar to his home average of 43.51 in 68 matches, but in Asia he has taken his batting to another level, and he has done it consistently, series after series.

In 41 innings in Asia, Cook has eight hundreds, including one double and three other scores of more than 170. His rate of a century every 5.13 innings is fifth among all batsmen who have scored five or more hundreds in Asia; among non-Asians, only Hashim Amla, with seven hundreds in 32 innings (excluding the first innings of the Mohali Test) has a better conversion rate. Cook's century rate in Asia is even better than those of Kumar Sangakkara and Sachin Tendulkar, which indicates how comfortably he has handled these conditions.

One of the most impressive aspects of Cook's batting in Asia is the manner in which he handled the spinners. While many other non-Asian batsmen tend to go hard at the ball and commit to the front foot, Cook has tackled the spinners with soft hands and played the ball late, a technique which has allowed him to cope with the vagaries of turn and bounce more successfully than most other batsmen. Among the 26 non-Asian batsmen who have faced at least 1000 deliveries in Tests against spinners in Asia since 2002, only two - Stephen Fleming and Amla - have faced more deliveries per dismissal than Cook. Cook's average is 151.5, which means he faced 25.1 overs per dismissal against a spinner; Fleming faces 30.3 overs, and Amla 28.3.

In terms of averages against spin too, only three - Fleming, Amla and Ricky Ponting - have done better than Cook. (These are stats since January 2002, so they exclude Ponting's horror series in India in 2001.)

The table below shows Cook's Test stats in Asia against spinners who have bowled at least 100 balls to him, plus Yasir Shah. Yasir didn't play in the first Test of this series, when Cook got his double-century, but returned for the next two Tests and dismissed Cook three times in four innings. The only other bowler who dismissed him in the series was Shoaib Malik. Zulfiqar Babar bowled 290 deliveries at him without any success.

Saeed Ajmal has had some success against him in the past, as has Mohammad Hafeez (2 for 29 in 93 balls), but Cook has won his battles against some of the top spinners - he averages 55 against R Ashwin, 117 against Harbhajan, and 43 against Rangana Herath, while Muttiah Muralitharan and Anil Kumble haven't dismissed him once in 380 balls.

Along with Amla and AB de Villiers, Cook is clearly one of the best overseas batsmen to have ever played in Asia. All three have remarkably similar numbers in the continent: barely a run separates their averages, while Amla's century rate is marginally better than Cook's. Cook did all he could, and yet couldn't prevent a series defeat in the UAE; it's now up to Amla and de Villiers - with ample support from the rest of their team-mates - to ensure that South Africa leave India with a better series result.