Alastair Cook hinted at some of the behind the scenes work that helped deliver England’s impressive ten wicket victory in the Second Test against India in Mumbai. There can be no doubt that his leadership was severely tested after last weeks crushing nine wicket defeat in Ahmedabad. After which Jonathan Agnew on BBC Sport claimed that England have deteriorated in every department in BBC sport.
To produce England’s 2nd test win since 1985 in 20 attempts took something special for which Cook and Andy Flower deserve great credit. Graham Onion’s in his column for BBC sport highlighted some of what has been happening;
After the match on Monday, coach Andy Flower called a meeting at our hotel in the evening to talk things through. It was a chance for us to celebrate the positives from the game – Alastair Cook’s 176, Matt Prior’s 91 and Graeme Swann’s five-wicket haul – but also to start to analyse what we did wrong and how we could improve. The atmosphere was very relaxed and informal as we chatted about our approach to batting and whether we can find a way of being more positive and scoring more freely without taking risks.
This sounds like a constructive way to respond to the set back. A clear outcome, state of mind composed and a proper analysis of the game including a focus on the teams qualities and positives. All likely to build confidence, belief and mental strength after a bad defeat.
Cook’s post match comments provide a further clue to the work that has been going on in between tests. Obviously selection has been a big issue and bringing in Monty Panesar to bowl in tandem with Swann was an easy decision to make. It was handled well though, the temporary, specific & external reason of conditions being given for changes, not players quality.
After that game he started building confidence for Mumbai. Talking about the Second innings fight back, quoted in BBC Sport he said;
We fought hard. We can take a lot from the second half of that game with the batting … there was a lot of character showed by the lads. We need to work hard so when we go to Mumbai we can start again.
Here he is framing a permanent quality of ‘character’ in his team. He is telling them to focus on the second half of the game and take confidence from it. He is leading by example and his words will mean something to hist team. Andy Flower indicated this with his comments about the need for his players to ‘Stand up like Cook’ on BBC Sport;
Cook is a strong bloke and a very, very fine cricketer. We need more of our men to stand up in the way that he did. There was a lot to be learned from watching him.
These comments help because they are ‘towards’ focused and bolster the stature of the captain.
After the win Cook continued his theme from Ahmedabad as quoted in ESPNCricinfo by Andrew McGlashan;
It was a tough week up in Ahmedabad and the character we have shown in the last three days has been fantastic … I just can’t fault the effort from the lads and the performance they have put in.
A big part of his work has been building rapport and confidence with key players in the team. In ESPNcricinfo once more he talks about Swann, Panesar and Pieterson’s contribution;
It was an important toss, but the way we bowled on the first day was fantastic and then the way Kevin took the game away from India – to get an 80-run lead was vital,” Cook said. “It was a fantastic innings and great to watch from the other end. We could almost have got more of a lead in the end. But the way Swanny and Monty bowled in the second innings when the pressure was on, to not let India get away, was fantastic.
Behind the scenes it would appear a lot has gone on to build team harmony following the ruptions that led to Pieterson’s exclusion following the Summer Test Series against South Africa;
Thanks to the guys in the dressing room, the management, for sorting everything out, … Every day you put on an England jersey is a special day and we are so privileged as England cricketers. The spectators that travel around with us are magnificent and we couldn’t achieve things without them
So the indications are that good work is going on in the camp to build a united and mentally tough England Team. Flower and cook deserve credit and this remarkable win on the back of a humiliating loss will help no end.
But the work has to continue, India are not going to give up. It was interesting to hear India’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni praise Monty Panesar on BBC sport. He very cleverly used his comments to point out to his spinners that they bowled the wrong lengths, making their laps temporary and England can expect a tougher test from them in Kolkota.
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