Hats off to Cook

[putrevus]

What a gritty and super captain's innings he played and paved way for one of the greatest test wins in recent years.Winning a test after being 40/4 and then conceeding 530 in first innings is just off the charts acheivement. Baz again showed that he is bit of one trick pony in his captaincy, attacking captaincy just does not mean having 4 slips and give away easy runs.NZ had no business of losing this test but Baz lost it for his team by his over agressive tactics.Drying the flow of runs is also an art which every captain needs to learn. Dhoni almost lost test from a similar position by this over attacking in name of being aggressive against SA. Cook gets undue flak but these days losing away test series should not end captaincy stints, unless a captain has super test team winning away is very hard.

[G_B_]

still a pretty *****y captain in a tactical sense. I dont think people called for cook to be dropped. Not the majority. They just wanted him to give up captaincy

[putrevus]

still a pretty *****y captain in a tactical sense. I dont think people called for cook to be dropped. Not the majority. They just wanted him to give up captaincy

Cook was going thru lean patch and it was not his fault that ECB made him odi captain when he never had game for ODIs , the same media who were criticizing him about his odi spot were singing praises of England's tactics in CT 2013.Cook did not change his style.It is just result started changing. Clarke won World Cup as a captain can anyone including Clarke himself say that he had anything to do with his team winning, it was more like his team won despite carrying a non performing captain. He is conservative captain like most of the captains, show me one captain other than Aussie captains who took risks. SA had India on ropes and yet did not complete historic chase fearing they could lose the test. Dhoni did not declare even though he had 600 plus runs lead and fading light when he had a chance to win a test match in NZ.He was somehow hailed as great captain for long time before they realized his true nature. Baz is getting lots of kudos for being a great captain but where did he exhibit his tactical genius if he had stopped the free flow on runs on first day this would have been a totally different test.His stupidity/bravery cost his team a golden chance of winning the test, NZ had no business of losing this test.

[brendan07]

Please keep him as captain for the Ashes, that is all.

[putrevus]

Please keep him as captain for the Ashes' date=' that is all.[/quote'] He will be and Aussies will be in for real surprise.

[Gollum]

Please keep him as captain for the Ashes' date=' that is all.[/quote'] From a neutral perspective I think irrespective of who captains England, Australia are underdogs. Your batting overseas looks shaky and in English pitches their fast bowlers will be a handful. You guys haven't won a series there since 2001, will need a monumental effort to end the barren run.

[Gollum]

Coming to OP, I have nothing but admiration for Captain Cook. 27 centuries at age 30 is something phenomenal, that too for an English opener who has to face the most difficult conditions with the bat. He has scored 100s everywhere, Aus,RSA,NZ,Ind etc. The no 1 opener of this generation, Warner has been miserable outside his comfort zone and Vijay needs to prove his mettle for a few more years. Coming to his captaincy it isn't as bad as critics make it out to be. The way he lead from the front in the India tour of 2012 and won the series from 0-1 down was one of the greatest feats in modern era cricket, very few teams can realistically hope to get a drawn series here, forget a win. His 0-5 Ashes capitulation was more because of his *****y team and ECB clowns. The 0-1 loss to Lanka could easily have been 3-1 Eng if it were a 5 test series. He once again oversaw the demolition of India in the 2014 summer, in that series his bowling changes and field placings were very good. He is someone who leads from the front by his performances(ike Kapil) and not a tactician, so his batting form has a bearing on his team's show. Now that he has found his form back pretty sure England's fortunes will rise again.

[brendan07]

He will be and Aussies will be in for real surprise.

Yeah and I'm the Pope!:hysterical: Give Root the captaincy, seems a natural leader. Cook is so lucky he got away with it in the 1st test, he is so defensive. Should have declared when Ali or even himself got out. That was plenty of runs.

[putrevus]

Yeah and I'm the Pope!:hysterical: Give Root the captaincy, seems a natural leader. Cook is so lucky he got away with it in the 1st test, he is so defensive. Should have declared when Ali or even himself got out. That was plenty of runs.

It is easy to say it when your ass is not on the firing line, Gower still hears about that declaration in. Greendge 214 master piece on the same ground.

[brendan07]

It is easy to say it when your ass is not on the firing line' date=' Gower still hears about that declaration in. Greendge 214 master piece on the same ground.[/quote'] That my friend is why Cook isn't rated as a leader. Caring about his position rather than the team. Honestly 300 in front is plenty. I would rather a captain who goes out there to WIN a test rather than one who goes out there to 'not lose'. Cook is lucky NZ were batting like drunks. Cook was 9 overs away from being made to be a fool anyway.

[rkt.india]

Mcculum chickened out. he should have oened in 2nd innings but he sent Latham who had already kept for a lot of overs and was tired. Poor captaincy from Mc too.

[Bigg Brother]

Happy for him.. It was sad to see that the player of his caliber passing through such long bad phase. The best opener of this generation in tests.Hope other English batsmen will step up along with him for upcoming Ashes.

[FreakazoiD]

New Zealand are a good limited overs team but a vastly over-rated test team, not too dissimilar to India. England will win the tests 2-0, with or without Cook's captaincy.