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*Official* Fourth Test at the MCG

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
**** it I'm staying up as long as Cook is in today. Want a ton

NB if he gets out and I wanna keep boozing I mean watching, well I will, sue me
 

Son Of Coco

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Do you actually think Cook is crap?
No, but I generally think if you bowl in the right areas you'll get him. If you bowl short or on his legs he'll get you. Cook's reputation against Australia is based on one good series where we bowled utter rubbish to him (and everyone else). As the Aussie bowlers have shown in the two series this year, if you have a plan in place for Cook and bowl to it, he finds it very difficult to produce runs.

My 'keep it around off' comment presumed there'd be some movement involved at some stage. It'll be in my pants if he nicks one.

Edit: Like that Siddle ball for instance.
 
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Woodster

International Captain
I think Cook has shown on a number of occasions over the years, he does have the skill and temperament to get through stages where the bowlers bowl well at him and still make runs. Yes he can be vulnerable around that off stump but he is a run machine and finds ways to make the runs despite not being technically perfect.

The youngest ever batsman to 8,000 Test runs.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
Played Cook, 8k and counting. Could go on to break all manner of records. Youngest player to said landmark.
 

Adders

Cricketer Of The Year
Worst Carbs has looked all series here.

Congrats Cooky on 8000 runs, dunno how he managed it when all you've got to do to get him out is bowl outside off.
 
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GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
No, but I generally think if you bowl in the right areas you'll get him. If you bowl short or on his legs he'll get you. Cook's reputation against Australia is based on one good series where we bowled utter rubbish to him (and everyone else). As the Aussie bowlers have shown in the two series this year, if you have a plan in place for Cook and bowl to it, he finds it very difficult to produce runs.

My 'keep it around off' comment presumed there'd be some movement involved at some stage. It'll be in my pants if he nicks one.

Edit: Like that Siddle ball for instance.
I don't think he has a reputation against Australia per se. I mean people talked it up a bit before both of these Ashes series because he'd done it in the previous time against you (prior to the home series) and the last time here before this one.

He's undoubtedly a guy who you can make solid plans to, but similarly he's a guy who it's hard to have a plan B to, IMO because he's so disciplined when he's on song.

He's also a cracking player of **** bowling. It's sometimes seen as a negative on CW but at the end of the day if your opener sees off the rubbish then the middle order will make hay and kaka boom innings win. See some of the easier games in our golden run a couple of years back.

Also, seeing as on this forum players get talked down on the basis of where and against who they make their runs/take their wickets, worth noting that an opener having his record when playing half their games in England is not to be sniffed at.
 

Neil Pickup

Cricket Web Moderator
That ball is the one that you always fancy getting Cook with. Always.

Not a good shot; hopefully he takes that life and puts the drive away unless it's totally full.
 

Hurricane

Hall of Fame Member
Carberry needs a ball at his pads that he can put away to get going here. I agree with him leaving balls outside off stump until he can get to at least 5 runs.
 

Son Of Coco

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I think Cook has shown on a number of occasions over the years, he does have the skill and temperament to get through stages where the bowlers bowl well at him and still make runs. Yes he can be vulnerable around that off stump but he is a run machine and finds ways to make the runs despite not being technically perfect.

The youngest ever batsman to 8,000 Test runs.
He can, his powers of concentration are very good and he gets himself through some tough situations. That doesn't change the fact that if you bowl in the right spots to him you can tie him down rather easily and get him into trouble. He's more limited than a number of other bats, but makes the most of what he's good at. Bar one series, he hasn't been much of a 'run machine' vs Australia. Doesn't make him a bad player, but nor is he a genius.

What he does extremely well is punish anything that is directed at his weaknesses.

Before The Ashes in England we heard all about what Cook would do, and I think some of us said then he wouldn't be much trouble if Australia got it in the right areas...he wasn't much trouble. Then when he was coming out here we heard that Australia would struggle against him because the extra bounce would make it harder for them to put pressure on him around off/he was due a score. They've largely got it in the right areas again and he has struggled.

He's got off to starts when we've been loose at the start of an innings, but so far our bowlers have tightened it up again and put him under pressure. It's a big ask to bowl in the right spots all the time to a decent batsman, it's not easy when you have slim margins for error. But, like we said twice before, if Australia continue to hit the right spots, Cook will likely continue to struggle. As would most batsmen really.

If they give Cook the opportunity to score runs then I have no doubt he will do so.
 
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