5 Best batting performances of Alastair Cook

English Test skipper Alastair Cook has learned to balance his captaincy and his batting and has been doing it really well. Since a century and a half-century in the first two innings of his debut Test, Cook has come a long way into becoming the classic left-handed batsman and is now the leading run-scorer in England cricket history. Here are the best performances of Alastair Cook: 1. 104* v India, 1st Test: This match was the first Test of the series and three English men made their debut including Alastair Cook. Due to Marcus Trescothick’s unavailability that season, the onus of opening fell on young Cook’s shoulders. He managed to score a competitive 60 in the first innings till an inside edge rattled his stumps. In the second innings he looked more comprehensive than ever and scored an incredible unbeaten 104 and became a centurion on debut. He was naturally comfortable playing both spin and seam right from his debut. 2. 263 v Pakistan, 1st Test: This was a match-defining knock by the captain who showed perseverance and skill at the same time against the Pakistanis. Hour after hour bearing the scorching heat at Abu Dhabi, Cook helped his team pile up a monumental score of 598 and take a lead in the high-scoring first innings of this encounter. This knock became the highest individual score by an English batsman in Asia beating Mike Gatting’s 207 in Chennai way back in 1985. His endurance in the heat of the Gulf also engulfed the record for the longest innings by an English batsman where his patience and skill was tested in an 836-minute vigil. Funnily his entire innings was longer than the fourth Ashes Test at Trent Bridge. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3a1t56_alastair-cook-263-runs-vs-pakistan_sport 25 Facts about Alastair Cook – The Best English Batter 3. 235* v Australia, 1st Test: This century by Cook paved way for him to become a permanent and a dependable batsman in the English squad. Playing against arch rivals, the pressure on Cook’s shoulders was already doubled before coming to the crease. He did manage to score a gutsy 67 in the first innings, but his knock in the second innings was a turning point in his career. He managed a huge partnership of 329 with Jonathan Trott and helped England declare at an unbelievable score of 517/1. He batted for almost 11 hours and his score consisted of 26 fours. He went on to score 766 runs in the Ashes and helped England win their first Ashes down under since 1987. 4. 162 v New Zealand, 1st Test: After making headlines for not playing well since 18 months, it was a great breakthrough for Cook from a rough patch in his career. The memorable part of this knock was it came on home soil and helped his team win the match by 124 runs. His brilliant knock of 162 came off 540 balls and a solid fifth wicket partnership of 132 with the 85-ball centurion Ben Stokes comfortably put England on the road to put up a tough target for the visitors and take a 1-0 lead in the series. 5. 294 v India, 3rd Test: Cook was then at the prime of his form by scoring seven centuries in 18 Test innings showed his skill and passion for the game. Alastair Cook and Eoin Morgan, both centurions put up a 222-run partnership for the fourth wicket and showed complete dominance for the English side. He was eluded for not scoring a triple century when he was dismissed on 294 by Ishant Sharma, but his knock became the highest score by a batsman at Edgbaston surpassing Peter May’s 285 against West Indies in 1957. Andrew Strauss remembers it: “The key to that innings was Cook’s ability to maintain concentration and play the same way throughout – he didn’t really up the gears, he just kept batting in his usual non-fussy way.” It aided England in giving the match a fitting result when they beat India by an innings and 242 runs.