Alastair Cook keeps proving them wrong

Let's go back in time to two summers ago. Pakistan were visiting English shores for what would prove to be an eventful and never to be forgotten tour - and not for the right reasons sadly.

Alastair Cook couldn't buy a run. His game looked completely awry and Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer toyed with their new victim like an excitable pair of kittens with a cornered mouse.

Drop him was a familiar cry from pundits and spectators alike. But then from the depths of despair, Cook came out firing at The Oval with a courageous 2nd innings hundred that silenced the doubters and confirmed his place in the Ashes squad that winter. Not that it was ever really in question thanks to England's wise trigger shy selectors.

We all know what happened next. Cook morphed into a left-handed Jack Hobbs and plundered three hundreds and 766 remorseless runs as Australia were ground into the dust. Cook hasn't looked back and since the start of that Ashes tour has amassed over 2,000 runs at 72.75 with his hundred against South Africa yesterday making it seven hundreds in 21 Tests. These are phenomenal figures.

But Cook has not been content in merely becoming the best opener in Test cricket today. When he was handed the one day captaincy after Andrew Strauss retired from the 50 over format after yet another disappointing World Cup, even supposedly informed observers like Michael Atherton likened Cook to a donkey that did not have the game for 50 over cricket. Others felt Cook was not captaincy material not least because his supposed limitations as a batsman meant he wasn't worth a place in the side.

The critics were wrong again on both counts. His batting in a format that many thought was alien to him has been nothing short of a revelation. In 25 matches since assuming the captaincy, Cook has plundered 1180 runs at 51.30 with four hundreds and seven fifties. More telling is that he has done that at a strike rate of 88.65. Not bad for a donkey.

And what about his captaincy? Whilst his skills as a leader are still clearly developing, he has won five out of his six series at the helm - the aberration of course being the 5-0 whitewash in India - as England have climbed to number three in the ODI rankings.

In two years, Cook has gone from chump to being spoken of as the only challenger to Sachin Tendulkar's haul of 100 international hundreds. That is ridiculous of course as Cook is some 75 hundreds off achieving that, but it does show how far this unassuming character has come. Long may it continue.

Where next?

England vs South Africa - too close to call again?

Sachin Tendulkar & Jack Hobbs: Masters with much in common

How England won the Ashes: Part 4 - Runs, runs, runs...

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In my opinion Alastair Cook trying his best to get good victories but i think he is in-experience for captaincy therefore England cricket board should give him some time to prove his self.

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Some interesting cricket related comments left above I see.

I know it was the series of his life and will probably never be repeated and similar to the one that Hashim Amla has just had - but when Cook hammered Australia a couple of years back no one was as surprised as me.

Even then I didn't see him taking the 50 Over game by storm in the fashion he has, he has just excelled and gone from strength to strength.

I know I'm one of many to say/write this, but lets just hope the captaincy burden inspires him to go on to be a top class batsman for many years to come.

Although I am certain in my own mind that eventually it will have a detrimental effect on his batting, it seems to have with all of England's captains over the past 15-20 years.

I know he won't get near Tendulkar's record and that it was a bit tongue in cheek, but one similarity I can see possibly happening is when he is finished as Captain he may still have time left in his career to go back to the ranks and score more runs again without having the pressure of captaincy on his shoulders.

Look at what Sachin has achieved since he finished captaining England. We seem to batter England captains into submission these days, and as a result they have nothing left to give when they finish the job. Maybe it's something that needs looking at in future and Cook might want to make sure it doesn't happen to him.

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well I never had doubt about Alastair Cook, he is such a fine player and one of my favorites of all times, yes all times!

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