Alastair Cook an artist at the Gabba
Alastair Cook displayed a masterful painting in the first Ashes Test 2010 at Woolloongabba, Brisbane in front a packed crowd. In doing so, Cook mustered an unbeaten innings of 235 runs in the second innings of the first Test match against Australia.
Cook played one of the finest innings ever played in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746, especially by a visiting batsman. The left hander displayed great technique, a mixture of defence and attack, composure at the crease and stunning stoke play in his marathon innings at Gabba.
Concurrently, the English left hander played strokes all around the ground, particularly square of the wicket. His placement was perfect as he placed the ball like a tailor, who threads the needle with perfection. In his collection of runs, he minced the
gaps precisely with the blade of his bat.
His cut and pull shots were a treat to watch. The drives that Cook played were easy on the eyes. In his commanding innings, the Gloucester player tore the Australian bowlers apart. Peter Siddle, who scalped six wickets in a display of brilliant seam bowling,
was also on the receiving end.
The Australian bowlers had no clue as where to bowl to Alastair Cook as he was endless and artistic in his show. He made Australian bowlers look like a bunch of buffoons on the Gabba pitch as he continued to hammer them in his unassailable innings.
In his 10 and half an hour performance, the left hand batsman became the highest individual scorer in a Test match at Gabba, surpassing the great Australian legend, Sir Don Bradman’s score of 226. It is also the first double hundred by a visiting batsman
at Gabba.
Moreover, Alastair Cook’s effort in Brisbane is the 6th double hundred by English batsmen in Australia and first Since Paul Collingwood’s marathon effort in Adelaide. RE Foster was the first player to make a double century in Australia, when he
made 287 in 1903. Wally Hammond has scored a double ton on three occasions in the Baggy-green land.
His herculean effort has been lauded by his captain, Andrew Strauss. Strauss suggests that this innings of Cook is a special one and it can be easily bracketed among one of the top innings every Played in the Ashes.
Moreover, Strauss said, "I'm not great on cricketing history, but you'd be hard-pressed to think of a better innings in Australia," said Strauss. "It must be a long time ago that a player batted as well as Cooky did, with the concentration to see it through
for such a long time. It's one of the really special innings from an England player."
In the first innings, the 25-year old player helped England to rack up a competent first innings score with his resilient half century. He seemed more assured than rest of his countrymen. In all, the talented left hander spent almost 15 hours on the crease.
England was trailing by 195 runs, going into their 2nd innings. Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss had to survive the early overs in the dying part of the 3rd day and they did so. Cook assembled a 188-run partnership with his captain.
In the process, Strauss struck a defiant century.
Cook was joined by Jonathan Trott to rescue England out of a danger. They pair did it, and did it style as the duo mustered an unbroken partnership of 329, which is the best at Gabba for any wicket.
It was a great effort by Cook, considering the fact that his place was threatened, because of some poor batting performances, previously. He averaged 23 in the series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755, but his century at the Oval kept him in hunt for the Ashes squad.
Alastair Cook has a great start to the Ashes series as he scored the first double hundred of his career. The talented left hander possesses great threat to Australia ahead of the upcoming Test matches. The opening batsman remains an integral part in the
remaining matches.
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