Cook the Geek

Confession: I like Alastair Cook – yeah I know he is pure English not the Saffer-English like my other favourites KP & Strauss are.

I don’t remember taking any note of his existence in his debut tour to India in 2006 – this despite his century on debut. Don’t recollect following him much either other than those adhoc mentions until I finally caught the Ashes live after 5 years here in Dubai ( For some weird reason they were not telecast on the sports package I had ). I woke up early in the morning to watch the last Ashes and then I saw Cook bat on and on, until he tired the hell out of the Aussies and me too!

I get that he is a drab to watch, that he might put you back to sleep after you have taken enough pains to wake up that early. He looks the sort who will bore the bowler to death but will be the guy the team will bank upon the most to bail them out of trouble.

Cook is the essential geek you need in your group to research, compile and present the project and fetch the grade so that you and your friends can play pictionary and scrabble into the night and get up early to watch cricket matches.

I can’t put my finger on the exact thing I find endearing about him and his approach to the game.  (WellOfcourse this feeling won’t last if he continues to claim that there is nothing wrong in his side’s behaviour on tour to India currently and look like a Barbie who will burst into tears any moment with another loss. ) I see a sincere effort to prove he is worth his place in the side and in the game, an earnest desire to fit in ; but we snoots won’t let him – just like we never allowed the geek to be a part of us.

He has no attractive quality whatsoever to be placed among the batting greats but he has the numbers. He is only 26 and already has 19 100s and 26 50s  (It is a different issue that I can’t  recollect most barring his double hundred in last Ashes and against us last summer  – that one almost killed me) . See, he is the geek again – numbers to prove his greatness but still no acceptance from the common folk.

I also know he will be the target of many a posts like this brilliant one by ACarollSmith . I could not stop laughing after reading all that Smith says about Cook and found myself nodding my head in agreement despite my fondness towards the fellow:

He’s never going to slog three sixes in an innings, never mind in consecutive balls. He’s not going to – either as a captain or an individual – ever do much that will make punters or commentators sit open-mouthed in bemusement and awe. He’s just not an inspirational bloke.

But  the killer line in the post was this one comparing Dhoni and him:

And that’s without even mentioning that he won the World Cup with a fucking SIX! Alistair Cook would have won it with six singles, or an inside edged four down to fine leg.

It’s hard enough imagining England ever win a ODI World Cup, and even worse imagining Cook hit a 6 to win it.

All I can conclude though is that Cook is “THAT Nice Guy” in college girls will never say YES to.

(Image courtsey: www.independant.co.uk)