'Stubborn' pair back in the groove

Alastair Cook (left)
12 April 2012

England opener Alastair Cook believes stubbornness is the key to the phenomenal weight of runs scored by himself and Jonathan Trott in recent months.

Cook and Trott scoring a combined 1,211 runs in the five Ashes Tests this winter, and the pair shared another unbroken stand of 240 on day three of the first Test against Sri Lanka. Cook reached stumps on 129 not out, with Trott only four runs behind following a superb partnership in Cardiff in reply to Sri Lanka's 400 all out.

Explaining what has made the duo so unflappable at the crease in that period, Cook said: "We're very similar in terms of our mental approach, I think we're both quite stubborn guys and it seems to suit our style playing together.

He added: "We're quite happy just to bat in fives. We just try and get five more runs and we always remind ourselves of that. I think 'just another five' is going to be stuck in my head all night."

Cook has now scored five hundreds in his last eight Test outings, with Trott striking four in his last seven appearances. With 17 centuries to his name at the age of 26, Cook is already just five shy of the England record of 22 held jointly by Geoffrey Boycott, Wally Hammond and Colin Cowdrey.

Reflecting on the fine recent run that has taken him to those lofty heights, he added: "You never master it (batting), but you can improve on it and that's certainly one of those things I was talking to people about before I went out to Australia.

"I'd never really gone on and got big 150-plus scores, daddy hundreds, but the last couple of hundreds I have done that so the method I'm using seems to be working. You never say you've mastered it but it is certainly improvable. A double hundred would be nice but it's easier said than done."

With plenty of time lost from the game to rain, forecasts uncertain for the final two days and seamer James Anderson unfit to bowl in the second innings, England may struggle to force victory at the SWALEC Stadium. But this was a time to revel in the efforts of two men in the form of their careers.

Trott's average stood at over 66 by the close of play, a figure that puts him above most of the game's greats bar Sir Donald Bradman. It will take something special if he is to maintain that mark but Cook was full of praise for his partner.

"He's been a revelation for us since he came in in the 2009 Ashes. He's been fantastic," he said. His stats are phenomenal. Having that rock at number three means our batting order is very settled. We have every base covered at the moment."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in