Graham Gooch has done everything in his power to give little Essex star Alastair Cook his batting mojo.
He hasn’t asked him to get fat or put on a hilarious moustache, but he has got him standing taller, getting his twitchy footwork done earlier and playing straighter.
For all that training Cook’s front foot is still in the air as the bowler lets go, he still wafts with a slanted bat at wide ones, and plays at ball he doesn’t have to.
Today he nicked one that was dropped, then nicked another one and buggered off.
I think Gooch was a terrific player, and for all i know he could be the Vince Lombardi of batting coaches, but something isn’t right here.
Is turning Cook into a bastardised version of himself really going to help?
In no way is Cook’s normal batting anything like Gooch’s, so why shape him that way.
Surely there is a way to change his technique without moulding it onto one that is the polar opposite.
It reminds me of the whole Cameron White coaching fiasco, where Terry Jenner tried to make him more Shane Warne like and now he bowls like Shane Warne would if he had Polio.
Cook is a back foot player, one who takes half a step forward, who nudges off his hip alot and plays the pull shot well. Plus, you know, left handed.
Other than Michael Slater I can’t think of many players from the last generation less like Cook than Gooch.
In other news, South Africa batted today, I can tell because I woke up on the couch.
Bastard is right, he’s somebody’s love child. I would say he could be Boycott’s ostracised Southern son, which would explain his relentless presence in the team, the puce Royal face goatboy.
When you do a similar piece on Ian Bell tomorrow, please make sure to include that Hashim Amla was doing his best impression of Bell on day one.
No, no, no, I’m not having this. Dear Alastair may not be as exciting as Sehwagayle, but he has done quite well over the years and looked quite stylish at times. He certainly could do without Gooch, Cricket could have done without Gooch. Gooch the joysucker. Gooch the rebel tourer of South Africa. Gooch who was instrumental in ending Gower’s career – a career in which pretty much any five minutes contained more magic than in the whole of Gooch’s turgid occupation of the crease. Gooch who heralded in over ten years of squalid, boring, third rate, dour and disgusting English cricket. So, attack Ali C if you must, but please don’t tar him with the brush that should be pushed up Gooch’s arse. Sideways.
.-= Vicus Scurra´s last blog ..Keep the noise down out there, please =-.
Bob Simpson was similarly helpful to Craig Sergeant in the late 70′s, with equivalent results. Unkind souls would say Sarge was shit anyway, but they wouldn’t be West Australians….
tONY, In the foreword to my first book Gideon Haigh takes the piss out of Sergeant. True story.