Australia knows only too well how big a thorn England captain Alastair Cook may be in the upcoming Ashes series.
The left-handed opener was the leading run-scorer in the most recent series between the two teams in Australia in 2010-11, compiling a Bradmanesque 766 runs at 127.6.
In a series that saw England triumph down under for the first-time in 24 years, Cook won the match-of-the match awards in the first and final Tests with scores of 235 not out and 189 on the way to being named man-of-the-series.
Heading into this series he averages 65.1 against Australia from ten Tests.
Cook is a throwback to openers of old, an accumulator of runs rather than the now obligatory dasher that populate so many top-order Test batting line-ups nowadays.
Technically correct and upright at the crease, Cook is a fine exponent of the pull shot, a major weapon in any opener’s arsenal.
During the last Ashes series when he surpassed 5000 Test runs at the MCG, he became the second youngest batsmen, after Sachin Tendulkar, to reach the landmark at 26 years and ten days.
At present, he is actually on track to surpass Tendulkar in some other statistical categories before his Test career is over – most runs and most centuries – should he opt to play into his late 30s.
Cook will turn 29 on Christmas day and has now notched up 92 Tests (the same number, by coincidence, as his Australian counterpart Michael Clarke)
To date, he has amassed 7524 runs at 49.2 with 25 centuries – the last of those against New Zealand earlier this week.
After his first 92 Tests, Tendulkar has scored 7752 runs and made 28 centuries.
It is a tall-order to predict that Tendulkar’s two Test benchmarks will fall to Cook but time is on his side.
Over his 23-year Test career, Tendulkar has played 198 matches at the rate of 8.5 per year.
Cook’s 92 Tests have come at a rate of 12.8 per year, given England’s far more frequent Test schedule.
By Christmas Day – Cook’s birthday – should he continue to average his career-rate of 81.8 runs per Test he will take his career aggregate to 8096 runs from seven Tests against Australia in that time.
By that stage he would be sitting on 99 Test appearances.
If England continues to play 12.8 Tests per year, Cook could play 200 before he is 37, barring injury or a substantial loss of form.
As an opener, he has the best possible chance of batting twice in a match.
He has batted 163 times in his 92 Tests while at the same point of his career Tendulkar had been at the crease on 147 occasions.
Tendulkar is currently 40 with the end nigh after 15,837 runs and 51 centuries.
Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey retired at age 37, Rahul Dravid at 39, and Jacques Kallis will turn 38 in October.
Kallis is the nearest current-day player to Tendulkar in both aggregate (13,128) and centuries (44) but time is likely to elude him in his pursuit of both landmarks.
Regardless of how close he gets to Tendulkar’s benchmarks Cook is assured of ending his career as England’s most prolific batsman.
His 25 centuries is already an England record.
He sits three clear of Wally Hammond, Geoff Boycott, Colin Cowdrey and 32-year-old Kevin Pietersen.
Cook currently sits in seventh spot in England’s list of all-time Test run scorers, just 1376 runs behind the number one, Graham Gooch (8900).
His move to the captaincy has seen him replicate Clarke with a marked upturn in his performance at the crease since taking the helm.
In 11 Tests in charge he has averaged 69 and scored seven centuries.
Interestingly, he and Clarke have opposing records when it comes to Test averages both home and away.
Cook averages 55.8 away and just 45.3 on home soil while Clarke’s average on the road is 42.0 and at home 64.9.
Both men will be looking to lift their respective deficiencies in the forthcoming series.
Cook will be the key wicket that Australia will be hunting this northern summer.
He has shown a distinct liking, and capability, for occupying the crease for many hours – his Test best is a knock of 294 against India, one of seven scores over 150.
Removing him early with the new ball will be a major challenge for Australia’s pace battery.
Failure to do so could prove fatal.
They need only think back two-and-a-half years to be reminded of the potency of Cook’s bat
Allan Saldanha
Guest
This is the age (28) when a batsmen peaks in physical and technicl skills. Its last for about another 4-5 years somewhere around 33 the downward journey begins. Who knows the next exciting generation will belong to the bowlers. Tendulkar saw off many generations of bowlers in his life past , present and future. Remember he faced Sir Richard Hadlee in NZ and was out for 88 not because it was a good ball but because he was a kid who should have been in garde 10 high school but was excited when he hit sucsesive boundaries and was out trying to hit a third....umm who was the bowler...Martin Snedden I think. Falt bed , water bed, Tendulkar is special he has invented so many shots no batsmen has ever dared do it not even Sir Vivian Richards. Go watch a 16 year old Tendulkar batting in Pakistan and see him tearing Abdul Qadir apart and you'll know what i mean.
Allan Saldanha
Guest
No human being batted the way Sachin did between the age of 14-24 not even Bradman. May that answers the question and just the record.
Dan
Guest
As an English fan, I wouldn't put Cook anywhere near Tendulkar. Not now, not ever. One is a genius, the other a very efficient, strong-minded limpet. Glad he's in our side, but he's no Sachin.
vikramsinh
Guest
Its interesting for EJM Cowan, DA Warner, PJ Hughes, SR Watson, SPD Smith, MS Wade, GJ Maxwell and other it was toughest place to bet and for Indians, pak's or Sl's it is flat feather bed Wow Coocks 200 is a great score but For pujara it was a flat feather bed.........................................
vikramsinh
Guest
U should just wait....................at leat 7 more years that would make Cook with 14 years of test cricket....................................
vikramsinh
Guest
You can Add Courtney Andrew Walsh Waqar Younis Saqlain Mushtaq Chaminda Vaas I would say, It was a bowlers era..... with all the test playing teams had at least 2 quality bowlers. I would say just wait dont compair 20+ years with 7+ years Cook has done great, but 7*3=21 long way to go
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
I have to agree with Montero. As good a player as Cook is he has piled up runs the past four years when the standard of Test bowling has been leagues below that which Tendulkar faced from '95 to 2005. As Montero lists, Tendulkar had to battle 9 or 10 bowlers who are all-time legends of Test cricket. Cook has only regularly encountered one all-time great - Steyn. Tendulkar dominated against the Aussie attack of Warne, McGrath and Gillespie, which was arguably the greatest of all time. Unless Cook ends up with an average in excess of 60 (which is extremely unlikely) he will never be in the same class as Tendulkar, regardless of how many runs he scores.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Broad used to be a very good lower order batsman but his batting has really fallen away. He struggles big time against good pace bowling. In the past 2 years, he has averaged just 12 in his eight Tests against NZ and SA, the only sides he's faced with decent quicks.
Lancashire
Guest
Although Cook is a good puller/hooker, his best shot by a distance is the square cut, and he's far more proficient off the back foot. NZ know this and bowled full in the recent tests, but as the British commentators pointed out "Cook finds a way" to keep going and his driving was excellent in the recent series. 7 hundreds (and no fifties) in 11 tests as captain is some going!
Stu
Guest
Cook's 294 against India in 2011 is as close to a perfect innings as I've ever seen. It was a special knock.
JGK
Roar Guru
Well in 2013 the best opener in the world plays more like an old school opener and less like Viru.
James
Guest
yeah but cook also had the benefit of playing in teams with ponting and hussey and langer and hayden etc for at least a few years which benefits his average no end. coming in at 3/300 knowing that you still have hussey to come in must have a positive affect on how you play. not saying clarke isnt great, he is but when looking at averages need to take into consideration the teams they scored them in. in the same way that tendulkars and laras averages would most likely be better if they did not have so much damn pressure on them for so many years as the real hope of their team. also the fact that cook for many years had to face mcgrath and warne from time to time whilst at the same time clarke faced harmison. i think they are both awesome and so hope for clarkes sake that he the other australian batsmen take some pressure of the man. though i hope more that england win handsomely :-)
josh
Roar Rookie
If you're playing pre-2000 maybe. I'd suggest that in a quick 50, the ball has seen the fence a few times to get the shine off.
James
Guest
id prefer a broad and swann over a pattinson, siddle and starc lower order any day. broad especially is pretty much a lower order batsmen.
JGK
Roar Guru
Not for an opener where part of the job is to see off the new ball.
josh
Roar Rookie
His test average is 50. Who cares who many balls he faces? I think it's a bit of an irrelevant argument; the balls faced per innings). I'd rather a player who can average 50 runs per innings, than one who averages 100 balls per innings at a lower average.
Andy_Roo
Roar Guru
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/11728.html?class=1;template=results;type=batting;view=fow_summary
Nick Richardson
Roar Guru
So far in his career Tendulkar has been better, cook will only improve and one day he might be better than him.
SDHoneymonsyer
Guest
Sorry, should have added Mohammed Aamer to that. Had Cook on toast back in 2010, although he was going through a majorly lean patch as Gooch tinkered with his technique.
SDHoneymonsyer
Guest
Faulkner maybe, if he plays. Cook does struggle against left armers, but I don't think Starc is the right sort of bowler - he mainly brings the ball into the left handers, whilst Cook struggles against the good length ball that leaves him. Zaheer Khan bowled brilliantly at him, whilst Trent Boult over recent months has too. They're different sorts of bowlers to Starc.