Graeme Swann's fortunes appeared to have continued on a downward spiral, post-Catgate, as his name was left off the ICC longlist for cricketer of the year. This snub -- and any resulting effects -- lasted barely 24 hours, though, as he was added to the list, and promptly picked up his 98th, 99th, 100th, and 101st Test wickets.
At the other end of the scale, Alastair Cook continued his rather ignominious battle with Salman Butt (batting totals in last five innings: 1, 8, 7, 0, 17) for the title of 'least in form left-handed opener of the series' by adding a meagre 6 runs to his aggregate of 41 in 4 previous innings.
I'm more than prepared to eat a whole dish of humble pie this evening, following a gritty 120 from Cookie that forms the backbone of an eventually-match-winning 200+ lead. The trouble is, I don't think he's going to deliver. Yes, Cook may be the second-youngest batsman in the world, after a certain ST, to reach 4000 Test runs. But past achievement, even when compared with the current greatness of a batsman such as Tendulkar, is not necessarily an indicator of future success.
Graeme Swann's achievements provide an interesting point of comparison. The third of Swann's four wickets yesterday placed him on an intriguing list of players to take 100 wickets in 23 Tests. The names Mankad, Underwood, Warne, McGrath, Mushtaq, and Kaneria will no doubt catch the eye, but it is another English name that is of note, here: nestled between the two great Pakistani spinners is one Stephen James Harmison.
In his prime, Harmison was undeniably a good -- even, on a certain March morning at Sabina Park in 2004, a great -- bowler. But he will never be lauded along with the Indian, English, Australian, and Pakistani names that he and Swann both join at 23 on the 100 list.
Swann's performances over the next years -- not his achievements over the past 23 matches -- will determine whether he goes the way, in English bowling terms, of Underwood or Harmison. Cook's fortunes, similarly, hang in the balance; though a decision on his future may come sooner rather than later.
[POSTSCRIPT, 3pm: Cook falls, 10 runs short of the fairly arbitrary total I set him. Mmmm, tasty.]
Hmmm. at the time of writing, Cook is up to 76 n.o. and going strong. I wonder what that pie tastes like...? Still, I agree he's not firing properly (though neither is KP). Maybe it's time to give him a rest. A consistent team line-up is all very well, but when your players consistently fail to get the job done, maybe it's time to shake things up a bit.
ReplyDeleteDuly edited. Maybe I should start casting aspertions on the form of other members of the top 6...
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