Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

Luckily for Cook our opening bat cupboard is nearly empty.

Gingerfinch wrote:Luckily for Cook our opening bat cupboard is nearly empty.

yeah that a valid point.

bhaveshgor wrote:Reckon if he gets close to Tendulkar would depend on how the next ashes goes.
No way is he surviving a poor Ashes and another Ashes defeat.

Especially with him facing India in the Winter where it would be impossible to score runs off, SA next summer where he generally struggled against and then the Ashes.
if he has another poor barren period not sure he would survive it.

Cook has a really good record against India doesn't he?

Making_Splinters wrote:

bhaveshgor wrote:Reckon if he gets close to Tendulkar would depend on how the next ashes goes.
No way is he surviving a poor Ashes and another Ashes defeat.

Especially with him facing India in the Winter where it would be impossible to score runs off, SA next summer where he generally struggled against and then the Ashes.
if he has another poor barren period not sure he would survive it.

Cook has a really good record against India doesn't he?

yes he does but think with the pitches likely to be prepared averaging 30 would be like gold dust and series wining.
really hard to see any batsman being successful if pitches are similar to the south africa series.
essentially right now I would say any runs england batsman score would be an bonus.

really hard seeing cook averaging 50+ and is more likely to average less than 20 and probably get thrashed 5-0.


Be interesting to hear Boycott commentating for once he can't say in his day batting was easier, the batsman would face far tougher batting conditions than he did, the only claim he has will be india had better spinners in his days.

suspect the pitches would be turning from day 1 and the pitches quick for the edges/mistakes to actually take wickets.
I be very surprised if any english batsman score runs in the tour.

bhaveshgor wrote:Reckon if he gets close to Tendulkar would depend on how the next ashes goes.
No way is he surviving a poor Ashes and another Ashes defeat.

Especially with him facing India in the Winter where it would be impossible to score runs off, SA next summer where he generally struggled against and then the Ashes.
if he has another poor barren period not sure he would survive it.

Cook has a superb record against India home and away.

Plenty of credit to SL for not giving up, and to England for winning the series. Anderson must be player of the series, going into a dead rubber.

What was going on with those retro-Moores style fields today, to the new ball too? Were England really concerned SL might set them a tricky chase?

bigfluffylemon wrote:

bhaveshgor wrote:Reckon if he gets close to Tendulkar would depend on how the next ashes goes.
No way is he surviving a poor Ashes and another Ashes defeat.

Especially with him facing India in the Winter where it would be impossible to score runs off, SA next summer where he generally struggled against and then the Ashes.
if he has another poor barren period not sure he would survive it.

Cook has a superb record against India home and away.

The fact he scored runs against India in the past has no bearing if he will score runs in the future. Let not forget Amla failed against India in India and he had a great record in India.

No question about it run scoring will be tough in the winter and it would take some doing to average 30 in the series.
Chances are England will lose 5-0 and cook returns will be below average.
Chances are 2-3 batsman will have a shocking series.

bhaveshgor wrote:

bigfluffylemon wrote:

bhaveshgor wrote:Reckon if he gets close to Tendulkar would depend on how the next ashes goes.
No way is he surviving a poor Ashes and another Ashes defeat.

Especially with him facing India in the Winter where it would be impossible to score runs off, SA next summer where he generally struggled against and then the Ashes.
if he has another poor barren period not sure he would survive it.

Cook has a superb record against India home and away.

The fact he scored runs against India in the past has no bearing if he will score runs in the future. Let not forget Amla failed against India in India and he had a great record in India.

No question about it run scoring will be tough in the winter and it would take some doing to average 30 in the series.
Chances are England will lose 5-0 and cook returns will be below average.

Really? Are India going to doctor the pitches that badly after Nagpur was reported?

And actually, past ability of run scoring is the best possible predictor of future ability. Yes it's not perfect, but that's how players are picked.

I'll take that bet. England will not lose 5-0 and Cook will average over 30.

The only way I see Cook being under pressure after the India series is if he fails while everyone else succeeds. If India doctor the pitches so badly that no-one averages over 30, it'll hardly be his fault.

At best, India will win 3-0.

bigfluffylemon wrote:

bhaveshgor wrote:

bigfluffylemon wrote:

bhaveshgor wrote:Reckon if he gets close to Tendulkar would depend on how the next ashes goes.
No way is he surviving a poor Ashes and another Ashes defeat.

Especially with him facing India in the Winter where it would be impossible to score runs off, SA next summer where he generally struggled against and then the Ashes.
if he has another poor barren period not sure he would survive it.

Cook has a superb record against India home and away.

The fact he scored runs against India in the past has no bearing if he will score runs in the future. Let not forget Amla failed against India in India and he had a great record in India.

No question about it run scoring will be tough in the winter and it would take some doing to average 30 in the series.
Chances are England will lose 5-0 and cook returns will be below average.

Really? Are India going to doctor the pitches that badly after Nagpur was reported?

And actually, past ability of run scoring is the best possible predictor of future ability. Yes it's not perfect, but that's how players are picked.

I'll take that bet. England will not lose 5-0 and Cook will average over 30.

The only way I see Cook being under pressure after the India series is if he fails while everyone else succeeds. If India doctor the pitches so badly that no-one averages over 30, it'll hardly be his fault.

The funny thing is probably more natural for the pitches to be this way if anything the flat decks with grass is doctored.
Also isn't it funny to blame india for doctoring pitches when England being doing for centuries.
If anything all teams have done it.
Anyway if anyone is shouting about doctoring they probably don't care about the future of test cricket.
Fact 3-4 day test cricket rates far better in india than team scoring 500+500 draws.

greyblazer wrote:At best, India will win 3-0.

hard to see 2 draws happening and hard to see english spinners giving enough control to win games and very unlikely Anderson will have the stamina to bowl 100+ over every test matches and cause england to shock win a test match.

bhaveshgor wrote:

greyblazer wrote:At best, India will win 3-0.

hard to see 2 draws happening and hard to see english spinners giving enough control to win games and very unlikely Anderson will have the stamina to bowl 100+ over every test matches and cause england to shock win a test match.

On England's last visit Swann and Panesar out spun the Indian spinners.

hopeforthebest wrote:

bhaveshgor wrote:

greyblazer wrote:At best, India will win 3-0.

hard to see 2 draws happening and hard to see english spinners giving enough control to win games and very unlikely Anderson will have the stamina to bowl 100+ over every test matches and cause england to shock win a test match.

On England's last visit Swann and Panesar out spun the Indian spinners.

Yes they did but this time England don't have the spinner to out spin the Indian spinners.
The only way England gonna win a test if monty is recalled and is the same bowler he was before.
Ali and rashid bowl too many loose delivery to trouble India on these pitches.

Is really like saying India should have won the 2011 series because last time they had Zaheer Khan and out swung the England team.
Doesn't really work like that.
In current form and pitches India should win quite easily, hard to see how England gonna restrict India to win games.
They will take 20 wickets but not sure they would take them cheaply enough to win games.
Anderson will be the key bowlers but not sure he would like to be flogged to death in India for 5 test matches.

I remember those BBC 606 days after the Ashes 2006-07 when I used to defend Anderson day in and day out and kept telling that he would one day become world-class. However, even I never thought he would take 450 odd Test wickets and now scaling to the summit of Test rankings. Well done sir!