While Alastair Cook’s form with the bat is well and truly under the microscope in this Ashes series, let’s not forget that the 32-year-old deserves respect for being England’s all-time top Test run-scorer and for becoming the first player from his country to play 150 Tests – a milestone he of course reached at the WACA on Thursday.
Cook, ahead of the third match in Perth, admitted he is working harder than ever to rediscover his run-scoring touch and that there’s no doubt.
But, having been dismissed for just seven in the first innings, lbw to the pace of Mitchell Starc, the opener’s place in the side is again up for debate even though the tourists went on to amass 305-4 after winning the toss on day one.
People would be a fool to write-off Cook just yet, think back to his wonder series down under in 2010-11 as an indication (as if it was needed) of his pedigree, but his recent statistics don’t make great reading.
Here, we look at seven numbers surrounding Cook at the moment as England try to fight back from 2-0 down.
148*
Although this piece delves into some of the stats behind Cook’s recent failings with the willow, his critics should also be reminded that to play 150 Tests as an opener is a staggering achievement.
Indeed, 148* of them have been played consecutively – dating way back to the summer of 2006 in England. Only Baggy Green great Alan Border (153) has played more back-to-back Tests with no pause. That takes some stamina and consistency.
68
The runs Cook has scored in five Ashes innings during this series – at an average of 13.80.
It’s a far cry from his overall Test average of 45.84, ahead of the Perth encounter. The former captain is just plainly out of nick and when he is struggling for runs – he has a tendency to look even uglier at the crease, for he has never been too pleasing on the eye.
61
The amount of runs Cook made in his final two Tests of the English summer, coming into the Ashes. Indeed, since his outstanding 243 against a poor West Indies attack at Birmingham in August – Cook has failed to pass fifty in nine innings.
9
Having made just 130 runs in total in his past nine Test innings – it’s Cook’s second-worst run over a nine-innings sequence since his troubles of 2014, when he notched just 129 runs in the same period without a half-century.
10
Cook has never gone 10 Test innings without scoring a 50. He has the second innings in Perth to avoid that unwelcome milestone.
Cook was undone again by Australia’s pace attack.
2,535
The amount of days since Cook’s last Ashes ton – which came during the winning 2010-11 campaign in Australia. Since then, he’s averaged just a shade over 27 in 18 matches against the old enemy.
32,353
Cook’s age – 32 years and 353 days. The England opener turns 33 on Christmas Day, just before the famous Boxing Day Test gets underway in Melbourne. As mentioned, on Thursday, he became the youngest player to reach the 150-Test landmark and has over 11,000 runs to his name in the five-day format. It’s a fine effort and time is on his side to chase down Sachin Tendulkar’s record, though, that is looking less than likely at present.
