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

My own personal team to take on this lot.

Hayden
Greenidge
Ponting
Border
Kallis
S Waugh
Imran
Healy
Hadlee
Ambrose
Murali

Does Cook really belong in that company?

Arthur Crabtree wrote:Does Cook really belong in that company?

Well, stats alone he does.

Edited to Cuthbert.

CGG was a class batter, and I should have voted for him. He wouldn't have made it, even though.

You can make a case for Cook, especially in Asia. And yes, mid forties average is good enough.

Arthur Crabtree wrote:Does Cook really belong in that company?

Better than subcontinent bully Sehwag.

Viru's average is a level above though. Cook is a bit of a subcon batter himself (he has a bad record against SA, and has had one amazing Ashes to five poor ones). The best attack he faced in England was Pakistan in 2010, where he was nearly dropped and his home record overall is only ok. He's the worst averaging England captain in the Ashes (minimum 5 Tests) since WWI. His form has been patchy apart from a peak period of about a year starting with the 2010-11 Ashes. Sehwag played charismatic cricket, but Cook surely is a bit of an eyesore. There are positive things about Cook, mostly his batting in Asia (also cussedness, concentration, stamina, appetite for runs), but if Sehwag is a one dimensional batter, then Cook can surely be accused of the same.

But most of all, I remember on 606, some India fans used to feel that people outside Asia undervalued runs scored there, and assumed that tracks were flat and runs came easy. Well this vote suggested a few people rejected that stereotype, and valued players who are masters of those pitches.

Here is my "best of the rest" team to take on the poll winners:

Greenidge
Smith
Dravid
Kallis
Border
Flower
Imran
Wasim
Hadlee/Swann (whichever is not in the selected team or pitch dependent)
Steyn
Murali

As Wasim was selected, my XI picks itself.