England captain Alastair Cook desperate for West Indies century

Sport360 staff 10:31 21/04/2015
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  • Looking back: Alastair Cook has not hit a ton since May 2013 – a gap of 33 Tests.

    England captain Alastair Cook believes he is still improving as a batsman, despite his long wait for a Test hundred following him to Grenada.

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    Cook is the country’s leading century maker with 25, but has not reached three figures since May 2013 – a gap of 33 Test innings and counting.

    He is hardly in crisis at present, with three scores of 70 or more in his last four Tests, but cricket’s obsession with landmarks means he will not be free from questions about his own form until he ticks off a 26th ton. His next chance comes today when England take on the West Indies in the second Test in St George’s, looking to improve on an attritional draw in Antigua.

    Cook admits he took to studying old footage of his technique earlier in the year and although he spotted differences along the way, he is happier than ever with his method.

    “I did have a look back in early February and watched a little bit and it has changed quite a lot,” he said. “It’s evolutionary, if you tried to go back to exactly what you did, it would probably be really unnatural.

    “You’re always constantly trying to tinker with technique. You might fall into certain habits at times throughout your career…that is the batters’ charter in one sense, you’re always tinkering a little bit.

    “But the most important thing is that when you’re out in the middle you’re not concentrating too much on technique, you’re concentrating on what is important: that ball coming down to you in the situation and conditions you’re in. “I’d like to think my game has improved over time, I definitely believe it has, it’s just different.”

    Meanwhile, England appear likely to make one change to their XI, with James Tredwell most vulnerable to Moeen Ali’s expected return. Moeen joined the squad on Saturday after recovering from an abdominal injury suffered at the World Cup and should slot back in as a spin bowling all-rounder.

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