England's Alastair Cook Fighting Familiar Battles Against the West Indies
Kemar Roach wasn't shy about the matter.
"Obviously we have our team plans because Alastair Cook has a weakness—everyone knows that," the West Indian fast bowler remarked after the opening day of the first Test in Antigua.
Roach, when pressed on the England captain, was reflecting on his first-innings dismissal of Cook—pitched up, nipping back, taking the inside edge and smashing into off-stump.
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"We just have to execute it [our plan for his weakness] as much as possible," added Roach. "Today our plan worked."
What Roach didn't add was how basic the plan is.
Though cricket is in an era of never-ending analysis, data evaluation and intense planning (backroom staff devising the plans can outnumber players), the instructions for dealing with Cook are as elementary as they come: pitch it up.
"Pattinson to Cook, OUT, gone! Pattinson strikes. Edges a loose drive to Haddin. Full outside off stump, Cook will be angry that he was drawn into playing," read ESPN Cricinfo's ball-by-ball coverage of the first innings of the opening Test of the 2013 Ashes series at Trent Bridge.
Cook had entered that series with a Test career average of 49.17. In the three years prior to Australia's visit, he'd averaged almost 58. And the previous time he'd faced Michael Clarke's men, he'd averaged nearly 128 across five Tests.
But the Trent Bridge Test started something, a trend that's been ever-present since.
At Lord's vs. Australia: lbw to a full ball from Shane Watson.
At Old Trafford vs. Australia: lbw to a full, straight one from Ryan Harris.
At Chester-le-Street vs. Australia: lbw to a full, straight one from Jackson Bird in the first innings; caught behind to a full, wide delivery from Harris in the second.
At The Oval vs. Australia: caught behind from a full delivery from Harris first time around; lbw to a pitched up ball from James Faulkner the next.
At Brisbane vs. Australia: caught again by Brad Haddin off the bowling of Harris after a full delivery outside off-stump.
At Adelaide vs. Australia: bowled by a full, swinging delivery from Mitchell Johnson.
At Perth vs. Australia: bowled by a full, swinging delivery from Harris.
At Melbourne vs. Australia: caught behind from an angling ball across him from Peter Siddle in the first innings; trapped lbw by Johnson in the second.
At Sydney vs. Australia: plumb lbw to Harris first; caught fending away Johnson next.
So Australia had worked Cook out. That much was obvious.
But so had Sri Lanka.
And India too.
Indeed, Cook fell in identical fashion to Angelo Mathews' men at Lord's and Headingley.
Then, MS Dhoni's limited attack did the same: Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Varun Aaron all claimed the wicket of the England captain in a manner that had become staggeringly familiar.
In 17 Tests across 14 months, Cook averaged 29.96.
With no hundreds.
"Taylor to Cook, OUT, full length a foot outside off, Cook pushes firmly at it and edges to gully! So now the England captain goes," shouted ESPN Cricinfo's text commentary of England's second innings against the West Indies in Antigua on Wednesday.
"It's a really full delivery but two feet wide of off stump, absolutely no need for Cook to play at this but he poked at it and got a thick outside edge straight to the gully who accepted a straightforward chance."
Sky Sports' commentators had remarked that Cook had enjoyed a good day and a half in the field. He'd rotated his bowlers effectively. He'd used spinner James Tredwell to good effect. He'd kept his slips in. He'd deployed a number of close catching men. He'd used clever plans to trap the West Indian batsman with short balls.
And, importantly, his bowlers had backed him up. Chasing 399, England had restricted the hosts to 243 for six, leaving a pair of 23-year-old's at the crease, two men with eight Test caps between them.
Then, to begin the 96th over of the West Indies' innings, Jermaine Blackwood thumped Ben Stokes over long-off for six. Immediately, Cook removed his second slip, placing a man in a run-saving position on the off-side.
In the heat of the World Cup final in Melbourne, Michael Clarke had a slip in place throughout New Zealand's innings. Always.
And often more than one.
When Mitchell Starc bowled to Martin Guptill in the third over, three were positioned in the cordon.
When Josh Hazlewood ran in, there were two. Ditto for Johnson.
At one point, Johnson even got two and a short-leg—in a one-day game held at the conclusion of the highest scoring international tournament in history, in which fielding restrictions were being discussed at length.
Clarke's answer: taking wickets stops runs.
He won.
Cook, reacting to Blackwood's six, took out his second slip. Though the West Indies still trailed by 150, though Blackwood had repeatedly shown a weakness outside off-stump, though the three batsmen to follow all possessed Test averages below 15, the England captain had decided safety was the priority.
Even if it meant taking a slip out, runs couldn't be conceded.
So second slip came out.
Two balls later, Stokes pitches it up and gets a touch of movement away. Blackwood edges it. To the boundary.
Right where second slip would have been.
Hands on head, Cook couldn't believe his luck. Yet, luck isn't it. Luck doesn't repeat itself consistently—battles with oneself do.
Just a couple of hours later, he edged a full ball to slip, neatly encapsulating his current plight in one short afternoon.
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