Alastair Cook names the bowler he struggled to bat against

For whatever reasons, Alastair Cook did not manage to establish himself as one of England‘s most successful captains, despite his prowess as a batsman. Following a 4-0 drubbing he received at the hands of India in 2016, Cook resigned as captain after a record 59 matches at the helm.

The 33-year old’s biggest achievement, however, remains his two Ashes victories in 2013 and 2015. He also captained England to a victory over India in India in 2012 after a gap of 28 years. Cook also happens to be England’s most prolific Test batsman, with more than 11,000 runs under his belt. He opened up about his fears as a batsman and his favourite captains.

He is one of those batsmen who made shot-making look easy. His ease at the crease, showcasing the typical left-hander’s elegance, allowed him to churn up runs in all formats of the game. However, Cook in a talk with The Times shared that the bowlers he most struggled against were Australia’s Stuart Clark, who dismissed 5 times and all he managed to score was 39 runs, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif. This was the infamous 2010 Test series in England where three of Pakistan’s players were found guilty of spot-fixing, which included both Amir and Asif.

Alastair Cook – the Amir/Asif bunny in 2010

Between Amir and Asif, the two dismissed Cook as many as 6 times during the 4-match Test series. He batted 7 times during the series, and Wahab Riaz was the only other bowler to have picked up his wicket. Wahab dismissed Cook in the second innings of the third Test, then the left-hander scored a lone hundred in an otherwise disappointing inning. Amir and Asif have otherwise dismissed Cook 5 and 3 times respectively in Tests.

The former England captain’s 110 was the only notable contribution in England’s 222, which set Pakistan a target of 148. But they eventually lost the match by 4 wickets. However, they went on to win the series 3-1 by thumping Pakistan in the fourth and final Test.

Meanwhile, upon being asked who was the best captain he played under, Alastair Cook said, “You can upset so many people when you answer questions like that. But I have really, really enjoyed playing under Ryan ten Doeschate this year at Essex. And Andrew Strauss for what we achieved.”

Alastair Cook is currently playing for Essex in the ongoing Specsavers County Championship Division One, and most recently scored a brilliant 193 against Middlesex at Chelmsford.