Tuesday, December 18, 2012

I Doff My Cap To Captain Cook

I’ve been following his carer since he was captaining the U19s in Bangladesh 2004 and scored a double century in a side match vs. Australia before 5th Ashes test 2005 at the Oval where Michael Vaughan lifted the urn in the greatest and most thrilling test series of our generation. It’s phenomenal to see how far he has come.

5 centuries in 5 first 5 tests as captain

Youngest player to 7000 test runs

Only Englishman to score 23 test centuries

Won 12 ODIs as captain this year and lost 2 with 3 centuries

First England captain to win in India in around 30 years

Player of the series in last Ashes series that England won down under for the first time in 24 years

Already tipped to be the 2015 World Cup winning captain

Unflappable concentrator, man for a crisis

Top close in fielder as well and the best ball shiner in the game!

Uncomplicated, organised, methodical in approach

Defends and plods on the front foot, scores and attacks on the back foot

Far from being gracious or an attacking player, but his defensive game is impenetrable and is busy at the wicket

Already an English great, probably will end up as a world great

Next major challenge for him: Champions Trophy on home soil and retaining the Ashes in 10 back to back tests home and away

Thoroughly professional at his job like Strauss, refraining from the celebrity circus

Stamina, concentration and a willingness to work on faults in his game is the key to his brilliance in the longer format

Shot selection and knowing when to sit back and score is the key to his recent brilliance in one day games

Textbook forward defence, productive cut shot, well placed sweep, glorious drive, and keen worker into the on side by getting across to off stump to tuck away neatly with a push or gentle closed faced nudge

He’s one of those players who is hard to criticise

You can never underestimate his quality anymore; you do so at your peril

Nagpur must be a special place for the Essex man. Made his debut in style here 6.5 years ago and today wins his first series as full time captain here against the odds.

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