Alastair Cook – The English Wall!

It’s hard to doubt the unflinching consistency with which Alastair Cook plays his game; this is a result of an unbreakable concentration span which seems to only grow as the innings progresses. He may be picture perfect with a picturesque batting stance, solid defense and remarkable stroke play and yet, like most other batsmen of his era, he is prone to his own set of weaknesses as he sinks into a rather unease of sorts against the ball swinging away.

While he’s supposed to stay out of its way, Cook finds himself unwillingly meddling in the ball’s path as he reaches out for the ball; perhaps he mistakes its proximity to his off-stump. This weakness of his has been exploited time and again by Mohammad Amir, the first day of the second Test witnessed the same scenario and yet again, much like the first innings of the first Test where Cook got a breather in the form of a dropped catch by the wicketkeeper, Sarfraz Ahmed, something spun in his favor here and a ball edged, travelling at a catchable height landed smack in between of two slip fielders. Needless to say, Cook capitalized on the breather – the stroke of luck and scored a ton which was uncharacteristically flamboyant for it was an uncharacteristically dull day for the Pakistan bowlers.

The Pakistani bowlers’ line and length wavered frequently and Cook was left with plenty of room on the off-side. A batsman who has flourished on the back of a dogged and unflinching concentration was surprisingly taking a liking to the boundary ropes and his second fifty came at almost run a ball.

While looking to rebuild the innings and reinstate England’s stronghold in this Test series, Cook was assisted by Joe Root who was looking to distance himself from the replication of his loose dismissals at Lord’s, something which looked entirely possible as Amir made life difficult for Root, most notably striking a blow on his shoulder with a bouncer and yet, Root persisted with a highly selective stroke play until he found the deliveries to his liking which he drove down the wicket with authority multiple times.

Also read – England v Pakistan 2nd Test, Day 1 – Statistical Highlights

As the day’s play went on and Cook and Root steadied the English ship, the crowd notched up their enthusiasm a tad bit, that was of course at the expense of Mohammad Amir who faced the ire of English spectators much to Alastair Cook’s delight (there was no visible amusement of Cook’s face, though, I’m just imagining keeping in mind Cook’s warning to Amir ahead of the first test).

Amid the “no-ball” taunts, Amir seemed have turned a deaf ear to the voracious crowd as he refused to bowl a single one. It seemed like a lesson straight out of the mother’s womb about how to tackle bullies – don’t pay heed to them, and Amir certainly didn’t, kudos to him! Much like an anti-climax for English fans, Amir found a rare and narrow gateway to disturb Cook’s stumps, dismissing him for 105 proving yet again, the class of this once deceased bowler.

Even though this is Cook’s first century in 20 innings after his last came against the same side in Abu Dhabi last year in October in a tantalizing and high scoring contest which resulted in a stalemate, Cook has reaffirmed and reinstated his status as the “English wall” for his undying consistency has time and again been instrumental in picking up his side from rather tricky situations. His technique though strong is not perfect, it’s pleasing to the eyes and yet prone to unease, somehow his persisting weakness against the swinging ball fails to catch hold of his wicket for a somewhat cheaper score. By the time it does, Cook has already done the damage!