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

How many runs will Alastair Cook score in his first innings of the first test?

If the Indian pace attack is as poor as seems possible, I'm not sure that Cook scoring a pile of runs will be a meaningful sign that all is well with him. I can just see him getting a big score and all his supporters saying there you are, it's sorted.

I can see him getting a start but wont reach 20.

Despite rumours of poor Indian bowlers I still think Cook will struggle.

Has a poor record at TB where has has scored one 50 and averages 21. The weather promises to be cloudy (result weather). I've given him a start, which he doesn't convert.

A majour flaw in Cook's technique is his footwork. If you look closely you will see his foot movements are rather tiny and his back foot and front foot end up almost in line pointing down the pitch. This means he has no lateral width and is a majour reason why he tends to over balance sideways forcing his head outside off.

60-74 in the first innings. A double hundred in the second innings. Similar to Brisbane 2010.

I reckon Cook is... err.... cooked. He won't get past 29 runs in the first dig. I reckon his craptancy is in it's last 12 months. Once relieved of the armband, however, I fully expect him to insist that his team mates still refer to him as; Oh captain, my captain.

The captaincy is certainly affecting his batting. Not that he is the first to suffer that problem.

Even Brearley wasn't worth his place as a batsman alone. He was such a good skipper though that nobody either noticed or cared.

Different times. A Brearley type captain wouldn't be tolerated now. And though he was undoubtedly a fine skipper, I think there is a fair amount of myth associated with his influence.

A Brearley type captain wouldn't have been acceptable then, either, had it not been for the utter desperation they were in.

Cook is reasonably safe, I think, given the paucity of genuine rivals for the position. Besides, England can't have this generation's 'Brearley' figure

As long as he nods his head like a donkey, and keeps the focus of blame away from Moores, he'll be doing his job!

Looks like we were all wrong. Did worse than anyone suggested.

Stick a folk in him. He's done.