Just two years ago, Alastair Cook was branded ‘boring’, ‘confused’ and having delivered the worst captaincy Shane Warne had ever seen.
It was tantamount to the pressures Cook and England were under after an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Australia Down Under and Warne was certainly not alone in his heckles but probably the only observer so keen to put the boot in and also offer advice over a drink.
But that is the enigma of Shane Warne, a story best saved for another day.
As for Cook, his own tale may not end up being as glamorous as Warne’s but it will in all probability be equally as historic.
Cook is comfortably England’s leading Test run-scorer and first to 10,000 runs, while his position as the country’s highest run-maker across all formats should be assured by the end of this series bar an unlikely calamitous run of form.
That Sachin Tendulkar’s leading 15,921Test runs doesn’t seem beyond Cook’s realms of possibility should put his habitual run-making into perspective.
Add in that Cook has raced to all these landmarks ahead of Tendulkar’s hectic schedule exclusively as an opener and you are looking at serious achievements.
And all of these have been secured while captaining an England side with a penchant for mixing historic wins with embarrassing humblings, in fighting and a need for constant transition either in keeping with changes in the game or their own implosions.
But still, Cook is a divisive figure and is consistently a bad run away from his head being placed on the chopping board.
It seems an odd thing, but such is life when it comes to British sport.
And despite England romping home to a 330-run win over Pakistan to level the Test series at Old Trafford, Cook was still in the firing line after not enforcing the follow-on while 391 runs ahead of the tourists.
On paper it was an odd decision, but ultimately it stood to very good reason.
Cook’s bowlers were given some rest while Pakistan’s greatest assets were forced to trundle out once more and be bludgeoned around Manchester by Cook and Joe Root for a second time in the match.
Not only will it have worn them down physically, but mentally. This could be crucial in what will prove a close series, and one largely defined by the successes of both team’s bowling attacks.
And while the majority of observers thought Cook to be mad not to make Pakistan bat again, you imagine the returning James Anderson and the England attack will appreciate the rest just as much as they would have been itching to get back out there and inflict further damage.
Cook was baffled himself by the criticism, pointing to the fact that a win “by 350-odd runs is pretty good”.
Pretty good indeed, Mr. Cook.
It may not have been the obvious aggression Warne et al constantly crave but it was a far more considered approach from Cook, a man who obviously enjoys playing the long game.
And as he said post-match, it is not like England are scared of putting their foot down and on another occasion, likely without the partnership of Misbah-ul-Haq and Wahab Riaz, they would have made a different decision.
Cook is a realist, but one that does gamble now more than ever before. This time around, he took the riskier option but all with the benefits of his team at the forefront of his decision making.
In modern cricket, where demands on bowlers in particular are so high, that decision making was sound.
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