Daniel Brigham: Gooch looks to have sorted Cook flaws
December 10th, 2009 by Daniel Brigham in England, Test cricket
Alastair Cook’s assured 81 for England in the current warm-up match is cause for a bit of back-patting. One goes to Andy Flower for bringing in Graham Gooch as a temporary batting coach, another to Gooch himself for working with Cook’s technique and the final one to Cook for turning those changes into runs.
When Flower called on his old Essex coach Gooch, it was clear that although he was there for all of the batsmen, it was Cook who was to be his main focus. Cook’s place in the team has been under serious pressure for too long. He looked out of his depth in the Ashes and had there been a realistic alternative to open the batting it is likely he would have been out of the Test side in South Africa.
The biggest flaw in his technique – pushing too hard and not straight enough at deliveries slanted across him – was looking beyond repair. After the Ashes, while his team-mates were being hunted down in the ODI series, Cook went back to Essex to work with Gooch.
They are quite similar in their approach at the crease: openers with unflashy techniques that need working on to achieve success. Batting doesn’t come as naturally to them as a Kevin Pietersen or Michael Clarke.
Because of this, Gooch is the perfect mentor for Cook. And when he returned from the Ashes horribly out of form, it was Gooch he turned and what he did was to bring their techniques even closer together. Suddenly Cook was operating with a higher back-lift that enabled him to come down straighter. Good news for England, bad news for the slips.
It paid off immediately, with scores of 57, 87, 104 and 104* for Essex. It is still very early, and I do seem to have an unhealthy obsession on this blog of backing Cook and all things Essex, but his 81 for England is promising. Although the South African Invitational XI don’t possess a bowler in the Makhaya Ntini mould who can relentlessly slant the ball across left-handers from wide on the crease, according to those at the match Cook was playing much straighter and not pushing hard at balls outside off stump.
If Cook has a successful series – and he needs to – then bring on the back-patting at Essex.
Daniel Brigham is assistant editor of The Wisden Cricketer
Posted in England, Test cricket | 24 Comments »
December 11th, 2009 at 11:34 am
This article is a joke. DB is an Essex-yes man so nothing in this piece resembles the truth.
Cook will fail, again on this tour, then he’ll grin his way to the England captaincy in B’desh.
December 11th, 2009 at 11:50 am
We’ll see …
December 11th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Even the best players struggle from time to time but, cliche or not, class will out. Strauss couldn’t buy a run for a time and look at him now - another ton on the way today? Cook is of Strauss-like class but he has definitely had some technical problesm - lbw too often. If Goochey has helped him resolve this then great news! I’s prefer a left/right opening partnership with Cook at 3. But he’s on my teamsheet for sure….
December 11th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Cook scores too slowly, gets out too cheaply, can’t catch and is always grinning. He also has a losers haircut - can someone explai how this makes him a Test-match opener?
December 11th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
An 80 and a fifty. Looks like Goochy’s coaching is working …
December 11th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
To be the top Test side you must have one fast scoring aggressive opening bat. Clearly Strauss is going nowhere so Cook has to make way.
A few months ago I’d have said keep him at 3, but now we have Trott, plus Cook just keeps knicking it outside off-stump
England will never to the no1 Test nation with Cook as opener - it’s a fact of life we’ve got to move on. Alasrair - yes you are a nice player but you just don’t have what is needed - please go away.
December 11th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Gooch is the best mentor for Cook? Gooch is the only one who thinks he has any ability, and only because he’s been teaching him since Cook was about 4.
Cook does have mental toughness, I’ll give you that, but he is not a Test-quality opener. And if he is deemed to be, then what the hell is happening to Test cricket?
The fact he’s being groomed for captaincy has me in knots, too. I know Ponting gets away with it, but any captain who grins incessantly as though someone’s tickling his undercarriage should not be allowed the top job.
December 11th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
But Gooch’s tinkerings seem to have stopped him nicking it behind.
And since when is Trott a fast-scoring player? He was on 8 after 70 balls earlier today! Are you saying he should open? Promote someone after one Test into an unfamiliar position?
December 11th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Where did I say Trott should open? Read the message before commenting. I said there is no room for Cook at 3 as we now have Trott.
As for opening, pick anyone else - Denly, Key, Carberry, Ed Joyce, Shah. I don’t care as long as they play some shots.
And they don’t grin.
December 11th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
“To be the top Test side you must have one fast scoring aggressive opening bat”…
Why?
* There’s no Power Play.
* There are no artificial fielding restrictions.
* The match lasts five days.
Strauss and Cook - 196 in 47.5 Overs at Lord’s in The Ashes this year. That’ll do me thanks…
December 11th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Can’t understand the logic of replacing Cook with any of those you’ve mentioned - not one of them has been an international success and two of them don’t even open the innings. And Key and Shah can’t field. And Carberry is lightweight. Denly in time perhaps.
As I wrote, if there was a proper alternative Cook should’ve been dropped a while back.
Agree about the grinning though.
How come you only ever pop up to attack Alastair Cook? Very suspicious. Are you Michael Carberry?
December 11th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Paddy Briggs - Sehwag, Hayden, Trescothick, Smith, Gibbs, Jayasuriya, Ryder
You have to be able to be 130-1 at lunch on day one consistently.
You embarass yourself giving that Lord’s example, it’s about the only time Cook’s ever, ever done that and the bowling was utter dross.
December 11th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Ryder doesn’t open for New Zealand, he bats at 5.
December 11th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Five for New Zealand is pretty much opening
December 11th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
go and swing your goose J-Rod
December 11th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
I don’t have a goose. And if I did it wouldn’t open.
December 11th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Mr Jones
I repeat:
It’s Five day game.
It’s better to be 85-0 at lunch on the first day rather than 130-1.
December 17th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Good work there Goochie! Really worth the money
December 17th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Give him a chance. Something tells me you suffer from English Fan Disease - wanting to see us do badly.
December 17th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Actually that’s wrong, I want to see England do well, very well - hence I want Cook dropped.
Cook opening is hindering England’s performance.
I am a patriot, don’t you ever forget it.
December 17th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
I have a goose. I would lend it to jrod, but I fear that as I have trained it to fly above my head honking “Rule Britannia”, he might find it rather trying.
No-one ever forgets that I am a patriot. Maybe Mick should follow my example?
December 21st, 2009 at 4:40 pm
If that is being ‘sorted out’ then god-help us!
Has Goochie been working with Gordon Brown and Rafa Benitez as well?
December 21st, 2009 at 5:36 pm
“I am a patriot, don’t you ever forget it.”
“Patriotism - the last refuge of the scoundrel” Samuel Johnson…
December 28th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
“Even the best players struggle from time to time but, cliche or not, class will out. Strauss couldn’t buy a run for a time and look at him now - another ton on the way today? Cook is of Strauss-like class but he has definitely had some technical problesm - lbw too often. If Goochey has helped him resolve this then great news! I’s prefer a left/right opening partnership with Cook at 3. But he’s on my teamsheet for sure….” (11th December)
Well done Cook - and well done Gooch!