In the ongoing debate to determine the planet’s broadest bat, this Australian summer has seen loads of manic talk about the wide-ranging sword powers of Michael Clarke and Hashim Amla and which of these two should be fitted for the yellow jersey.
And with good reason.
There’s no doubt that these two trundler tormentors are worthy selections, with their recent data causing runs columns to bow under weight stress, as well as force commentators into blurting awkward terms like “purple vein of form.”
But surely the recent batting feats of Alastair Cook under the responsibility of the England captaincy, coupled with his amazing career record thus far, demands he be mentioned along with Clarke and Amla as members of the leading pack?
Cook must appear like a telephone booth planted in front of the sticks to exhausted attacks around the world who are fast becoming bereft of ideas on how to dupe him in to a muffed stroke.
When this resolute scoring automaton scratches his mark to take guard, consider the blinkers of fanatical focus super-glued down over his eyes and a reservation booked to stay in the middle for an indefinite number of days.
Deservedly so, the sterling portrayals currently rain down on the man like vigorously distributed podium champers.
Reinforced crease titanium. Arctic-cool cucumber temperament. Statistician’s fantasy. Probably a real stubborn bugger to play poker against.
And now arguably the world’s best batsman.
Cook is indestructible either as an innings saviour in troubled times or as a purveyor of pain when the sun is shining, and with each passing innings his notoriety as a genuine contemporary batting superhero further expands.
His unflappable and somewhat private demeanour off the field, offset with the fierce street-fighter determination and ruthless hunger of his on-field alter ego, make him the closest thing to a cricketing Batman with an Alfred accent.
The meticulous leftie has kicked on stupendously after the numerical heroism he produced when last on our shores for the Ashes horror of 2010/11.
Since those days of psycho-anguish for Australians, records that have stood long in the rich quilted history of the game have continued to be picked out like old stitches and replaced with the English silk of the man affectionately known in his homeland as ‘Chef.’
Over in India at the moment, the recently appointed replacement as skipper for Andrew Strauss has made the long term sight of his padded-up backside at the wicket a fixture as regular as the crease markings. The supposed pressure of captaincy has been firmly toed far into the stratosphere with five centuries in his first five matches as Pom chieftain, along the way setting a new mark for most runs by a captain in his first five games at the helm, a record previously held by another handy bat in Sir Don Bradman.
To add to this, he was officially crowned as England’s King of Goin’ Large when he tallied a typically-stoic 190 against India in Kolkata, a score which sent him alone at the top of the Test century-making tree in the Old Dart with 23. Not bad when you consider the calibre of countrymen he surpassed in Geoffrey Boycott, Wally Hammond, Colin Cowdrey and one-time tattler and now-cheek smooching teammate Kevin Pietersen.
He’s the youngest batsman to reach 7000 Test runs, and at the spritely age of 27, he has many other landmarks in the crosshairs. Graham Gooch’s English Test record of 8901 should be the proverbial tradie hammering out a new kitchen before smoko, with longer term goals such as the all-time record held by Sachin Tendulkar (15463 runs) a few storeys higher but very likely provided he steers clear of injury, sweaty nightclubs and the off-field company of boozehounds like Pietersen.
And if you think that prediction makes me sound like I’ve been on the warm Boddingtons with KP myself, then consider this: no other batsman in Test history has accumulated more runs before their 28th birthday than Cook. And when I say nobody, you can include even the Little Master himself. With his current average of 50.02 on the rise with the buoyancy of leadership, it would be a game man to say that Cook’s steady target shooting is going to cease any time soon.
Right now, Cook has the shimmering set of scores and scrapbook full of smashed records that should make him an undeniable candidate for world batting MVP alongside fellow heavyweights Clarke and Amla.
The top table should have a booking for three, with one seat saved for the Chef.
Stan
Guest
I think Amla is above both Clarke and Cook mainly due to the fact that we have to consider how a batsmen score his runs against a formidable attack which wl also perpetuate to the result of that game,,this surely puts Amla on a pedestrial because S.a r n0 1 test team in the world currently
nickyc
Guest
The best comparison of batsmen is their averages given that modern players play far more tests and therefore score more runs and hundreds than their predecessors. In the entire history of test cricket only sixteen players have a test average of 55.00 or better: 1 Bradman 99.34 4 Sutcliffe 60.73 5 Paynter 59.23 6 Barrington 58.67 8 Hammond 58.45 10 Hobbs 56.94 14 Hutton 56.67 16 E Tyldesley 55.00 I was surprised that Australia has only one batman in the top echelons of test batsmen while England have seven. England are fortunate to have been served by a disproportionate number of the world's greatest batsmen.
Jimmy
Guest
Cooks class is not in question as far as I am concerned but I won't place him at the table of greats just yet until he can can manage duels with the likes of Steyn at Perth which, of course, we will never see but I will settle for watching him handle Steyn at Durban or at Lords. The old Wanderers pitch would have been a great test but now just seems like crap. I like his temperament - he is the right choice for Captain. Calm, in control. England and Australia now have some really good blokes as Captains. Clarke has been a revelation. I thought he was a real dickhead but he has proved me wrong and he will go on to become a legend of the game.
Neuen
Roar Rookie
Not blaming you Jimmy just a joke.
Neuen
Roar Rookie
So shall we start up the left hand vs right hand arguments then? But surely left handers won't be a problem for any team if they have Philander in their side.....
Pope Paul VII
Guest
I'm definately not fond of it. Hobbs coped very well but he was a vehment opponent of frequent short pitched bowling. Probably should have left it at Cooky being a good bat in any era as would John Berry.
Jimmy
Guest
Don't blame me for what happened - I could not even get to edit the post!
Haha :) pixeled out? Yeah, I agree parental guidance should be advised looking at Greame Smith hitting anything to the off side, but as you say, effective it is.there are a number of batsmen having a great year, but it doesn't take away from Cook's class.
Neuen
Roar Rookie
Thanks Jimmy. I think after the third time reading your post they will start to take not haha You are correct. Smith cover drive should be pixelated as I do not want to expose children to it. It does not look elegant but boy is it effective. His ugly bump and grind style seems to be his beat weapon. Especially where everyone seem to miss his true value and that is scoring runs when his team needs it in the 4th innings normally.
Jimmy
Guest
Because he is not a stylist? There seems to be a blind spot to South African players when people write about cricket. de Villiers, for example, is clearly one of the current top batsmen. But nobody seems to remember him? Kallis, of course, is routinely dismissed as some sort of afterthought. Ian Chappell does not even seem to know that he plays test cricket! Just the other day I read about Kallis bowling "pedestrian" medium pace when any real cricket lover knows that he is genuinely fast and hits the deck at a pace consistent with most fast bowlers i.e. 135-140+ plus and has done so for years even if he has slowed a little. P
Jimmy
Guest
Because he is not a stylist? There seems to be a blind spot to South African players when people write about cricket. de Villiers, for example, is clearly one of the current top batsmen. But nobody seems to remember him? Kallis, of course, is routinely dismissed as some sort of afterthought. Ian Chappell does not even seem to know that he plays test cricket! Just the other day I read about Kallis bowling "pedestrian" medium pace when any real cricket lover knows that he is genuinely fast and hits the deck at a pace consistent with most fast bowlers i.e. 135-140+ plus and has done so for years even if he has slowed a little. P
Jimmy
Guest
Because he is not a stylist? There seems to be a blind spot to South African players when people write about cricket. de Villiers, for example, is clearly one of the current top batsmen. But nobody seems to remember him? Kallis, of course, is routinely dismissed as some sort of afterthought. Ian Chappell does not even seem to know that he plays test cricket! Just the other day I read about Kallis bowling "pedestrian" medium pace when any real cricket lover knows that he is genuinely fast and hits the deck at a pace consistent with most fast bowlers i.e. 135-140+ plus and has done so for years even if he has slowed a little. P
Jimmy
Guest
de Villiers. Heard of him?
Neuen
Roar Rookie
When comparing Cook to another batsman why have no one mentioned Graeme Smith who is also a opener Batting average in each country in tests in Pakistan 39.60 in India 35.29 in Australia 33.60 in Bangladesh 32.87 in England 32.15 in New Zealand 32.13 in Sri Lanka 31.97 in West Indies 31.95 in U.A.E 31.94 in Zimbabwe 30.53 in South Africa 30.07 http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html?class=1;filter=advanced;groupby=host;orderby=batting_average;spanmin1=01+jan+2004;spanval1=span;template=results;type=batting Cook in Australia 65.12 in Bangladesh 63.33 in England 44.84 in India 71.00 in New Zealand 40.30 in South Africa 41.00 in Sri Lanka 48.33 in U.A.E. 30.99 in West Indies 49.87 Graeme Smith in South Africa 45.43 in England 67.75 in West Indies 73.00 in England 67.75 in Australia 41.38 in New Zealand 57.20 in India 35.91 in Pakistan 44.75 in Bangladesh 67.00 in Sri Lanka 52.00 in U.A.E. 48.00
peeeko
Roar Guru
you could be right, i wonder if its age or the 5 years test experience that generally means batsmen peak around then
Colin N
Guest
Most batsmen don't hit their peak (or it seems that way) until late 20s early 30s. By that logic, Cook should only just be coming up to his peak. I guess you never know though, considering he started so young.
Bee Bee
Guest
All advantages these days go to batsmen. DRS, bats that allow you to block a ball to the boundary, Ridiculous flat pitches (Why has the GABBA become a batsmen paradise???) Boundary Ropes. What is going on. People say bowling attacks are worse than ever but I disagree. Its the worst time in history to be a bowler. Time to rebalance the scales and give bowlers a chance. People say the recent series with SAF was awesome. Rubbish, it was a snooze fest of gigantic proportions. Peter Siddle bowled 64 overs on Beans and TOFU. He tried his heart out. It was cruel how little that pitch gave him on Day 5 in Adelaide. Someone needs to start putting some craters back into our pitches. Thankfully Hobart still serves up the odd dodgey pitch to keep the odd bowler interested. Stop bagging the bowlers. There are some amazingly talented quicks in this country but they are being driven to insanity and broken bodies by the unfair way modern cricket is tipping the scales against them.
peeeko
Roar Guru
not disputing he isnt among the 3 top batsmen but a lot is made about him only being 27, he has played 86 tests so still a fine record but he started a lot earlier than most batsmen. remember guys like hussey never got a start til around 30
Neuen
Roar Rookie
Amla is way above Cook. Lets not forget the bearded wonder average over 60 in ODI's with a strike rate of over 90! He passed 3000 runs in OD's 12 matches quicker than the great Viv Richards. Cook's highest score against a attack like Morkel. Philander and Steyn is 118.
cantab
Guest
yeah agree completely with the top six you have named, though I Would say Clarke is the clear leader ( with willow in hand) just because he keeps getting the huge 'one in career scores' Shiv is so underrated. But in relation to this article Cook is all class and there is much more to come.