Burns' Eye View

Alastair Cook is a run-hungry batsman, who is superb at filling his plate whenever the opportunity presents itself.

For a man averaging 5 in the current series v India after 2 Tests and four completed innings, he made 294 at Edgbaston yesterday to follow on from his excellent series v Sri Lanka earlier in the summer and 766 runs v Australia in the Ashes last winter.

On the basis that everything in life is driven by intention, it got me thinking about what drives a batsman to make such big scores consistently? The game’s greatest batsman Sir Donald Bradman was a phenomenal example of consistent run-making ability, but others, such as the greatest batsman in my lifetime, Sir Vivian Richards, seemed more intent on dominating the bowlers and getting his team into dominant positions to win a cricket match, rather than just ‘filling his boots’ and impressing the statisticians.

There are some interesting statisitics being presented about individual players’ averages after making a century in a Test. Steve Waugh has an average of 255, due to his number of undefeated centuries and appetite to get ‘big’ hundreds. However, Waugh only made one double-century (200 not out v West Indies in Jamaica). Alastair Cook now averages 213 after making a century in a Test.

Cook has experienced a remarkable transformation in the past 12 months, going from possible exclusion from the Ashes Tour to Australia after a miserable run of form in 2010, before making a century v Pakistan at The Oval, and becoming a legendary England batsman due to his exploits in Australia.

Cook’s appetite for runs has been sated by his run-drought but then again, he has been a prolific ‘run-maker’ since his days under Derek Randall’s tutelage at Bedford School. Maybe his lack of ‘natural talent’ at hitting the cricket ball has meant that he became a pragmatist about batting rather than a stylist?

I believe the character of a man plays a huge part too.

Some love the limelight, and want to play in an egotistical way which singles them out as the dominant player, while others are happy to go about their business quietly, and get the job done with maximum efficiency and minimum fuss. Recognition from others plays less of a part in such a man’s life, it is more about internal satisfaction of a job done well.

Alastair Cook’s character is phlegmatic and relatively under-stated. he seems happy to be part of a ‘wider’ family rather than having a strong need to be seen as an individual. As a cricketer, he has been developed well by Essex, and the wise old heads such as Keith Fletcher and Graham Gooch who were relentless in their desire to establish winning positions for their teams when Captain. Gooch, in particualr, had a remarkable appetite for work in preparing for an innings or a season. He believed in the old mantra: ‘failing to prepare is preparing to fail’.

Gooch’s influence over Cook’s play and his desire to make ‘daddy’ hundreds (as Goochie calls scores of 150 plus), has shaped the current England opener into a likely challenger of all English Test Match batting records.

The highest individual score is 364 by Len Hutton. The most centuries (22) have been scored by Hammond, Cowdrey and Boycott. The highest number of Test runs in 8,900 (Graham Gooch); the highest Test average (post career) is unlikely to be beaten (60.73 by Herbert Sutcliffe). The highest runs from a batting partnership belongs to Strauss and Cook already. Cook now has 19 Test centuries and an aggregate of 5,834 Test runs at an average of 49.14 after 71 matches; he has the sixth highest English Test score (294) and he is only 26 years old.

There are plenty of milestones to accomplish but I sense they are not part of the drive which fuels Alastair Cook. Batsmen, especially opening ones, have characteristics and certain shots which define them. Geoff Boycott was a great technician who guarded his wicket with his life; Gary Kirsten had an intensity for the battle like no other of his generation; Graham Gooch was a domiant force off both front and back foot while consistently maintaining an appetite for big scores. Others, such as Viv Richards destroyed bowlers with his brutality and violent attitude to his opponents, while Sachin Tendulkar is renown for is driving and touch.

Meanwhile, Alastair Cook just bats and keeps batting: his desire for runs unabated.

Today, in 1989, Devon Malcolm woke up to the prospect of his second day of Test Cricket. Australia were 301 for 0 wicket and England was on the rack (again) in the Ashes.

The true test of a man is how well he responds to adversity.

Despite a tough first day, ‘Big Dev’ rocked up and took the great Steve Waugh’s wicket (for 0) as his first in Test Cricket and ended the innings with the chastening figures of 1-166, as Australia scored 602 for 6 and won by an innings and 180 runs to go 4-0 up in the Ashes.

Despite this, he went on to become one of the most feared bowlers in Test Cricket and the proud owner of the best figures by an English seam bowler when he took 9-57 against South Africa at The Oval in 1994.

If you ever get the chance to meet him, ask him about his journey to the top.

His life is a great story, and is told by one of life’s most genuine and lovely of men.

Last Saturday, London County Colts played its ‘Celebration Game’ to bring together 24 of the 60 players who have participated in our successful programme for promising Under 13′s in 2011.

As my previous posting on Corey Nelson’s century highlighted, it was a fantastic day, made all the more special by the presence of London County International Ambassador Monty Panesar.

Monty, ‘fresh’ from a club game, on his day off from Sussex duty came down to witness the climax to the splendid match at Holmewood House Prep School in Tunbridge Wells, where we were wonderfully hosted by the warm and generous O’Riordan family.

Why Bedser’s Xl v Morris’s Xl?

Well, it’s a good question and put simply, it is a celebration of two great cricketers who played hard as opponents in Ashes series (the fiercest and most famous of all sporting rivalries) but became (and remained) the best of friends.

In 2011, the day before we played this game, I attended Sir Alec Bedser’s Memorial Service at Southwark Cathedral, and was so taken by Arthur Morris’s commitment to fly around the world as an octogenarian not in the best of health, to say a few words about his cherished friend. What a man, and what a gesture.

The experience got me thinking about how powerful Cricket can be in terms of developing long-standing, meaningful relationships and how in times of strife, the game can bring countries together who may be in conflict, such as Pakistan and India, and players can be friends as a consequence of going ‘hammer and tongs’ at each other on the field of play.

Consequently, I wanted our young cricketers to understand more about these two fine men and encourage them to learn more about the history of our great game.

Subsequently, our ‘Celebration Game’ has adopted the teams of ‘Bedser’s Xl’ v ‘Morris’s Xl’.

I was very privileged to spend some time with Sir Alec Bedser in his latter life and pick his considerable brain about bowling, the game of Cricket, and life in genral. He spoke with great clarity and much wisdom.

On Saturday, two of our gifted young cricketers, Matthew Clarke of Surrey and Nathan Baxter form Kent, gave individual presentations during the tea interval about Sir Alec and Arthur. Parents and other observers commented on the quality of their content and ability to project well in front of an audience.

For those who are more familiar with my work, they will recognise this activity as an exercise to get individuals ‘out of their comfort zones’ to experience discomfort with the intention of stimulating greater personal growth. Also, the process of researching about the greats of the game enhances an individual’s respect for the history and achievements of what has gone before.

‘Bedser’s Xl’ v ‘Morris’s Xl’ (2011) was another brilliant day, celebrating friendship and the commitment to the pursuit of excellence in Cricket.

The icing on the cake was Monty Panesar’s ‘Masterclass’ on Spin Bowling, and how best to make a spinner’s life difficult (from a batting perspective) as well as some personal tips to four highly promising young spinners, who had the opportunity to bowl under the gaze of one of the world’s best.

So many reasons to celebrate….