However,
after Cook’s amazing 160 Tests and 92 ODIs spanning twelve years, I think Alec
Stewart was absolutely right when he remarked that we would only really appreciate
his contribution to the England cause when he had gone. In these days of
biff-bang cricketers like Stokes, Hales, Bairstow and Buttler, Cook had become something
of a forgotten man, even though he was still there at the top of the order,
walking out to face the opposition quicks almost week in, week out.
Like anyone he
has had barren spells before, only to emerge stronger than ever, as he did in
the 2010-11 Ashes. The record books show bald statistics like 12,254 Test runs,
32 centuries (both England records), 173 catches and an average just shy of 45
but I reckon his legacy will also be his unflappability, decency and devotion
to the national cause. His past three years have featured a peculiar series of
performances. In 32 Tests, he has reached three figures only five times but of
those, three have been massive double-hundreds, the last coming in the most
recent Boxing Day Test against the Aussies.
It’s easy to
ignore how important a stick-around opener is to a Test side. See off the shine
and you lay the foundation for the exciting strokemakers to take the risks.
This summer, England have been lucky that the poor starts made by Cook and
Jennings have been matched by India’s own opener problems, and there’s always
Root, Bairstow and – ahem – Sam Curran to pick up the pieces. Maybe, as Cook
admitted in his retirement announcement, there is “nothing left in the tank” which
could explain his dismal form.
However, I
hope he’s wrong. If he’s fed up with all the mental stress related to England,
then I don’t blame him. However, I sincerely believe he has plenty of runs in
him still, for Essex. He has been one of the few opening batsmen to have
retained the approval of Graham Gooch, the most powerful figure in the Chelmsford
cricketing community. Many have come and gone but ‘Chef’ always seems to have
tried to play for his county, his appetite revived after a few weeks on the Bedfordshire
farm, possible because of his absence from money-spinning one-dayers and IPL.
So, Alastair,
please don’t do a Strauss and quit all cricket. 33 is too young for that. Forgive
my agricultural ignorance but by all means tend to the livestock during the winter,
and please leave the harvests to the employees and give your summers to the
county game. England still needs its head cook to guide future Test batsmen and
show there’s more to the sport than ramp shots and heaves to cow corner.
