Wartungsarbeiten » keeping India in the field for another session. Ther

Alastair Cook has admitted that, though he is never going to be a Mike Brearley tactically, he feels he is the right man to continue as captain of Englands Test team.Cook goes into the Oval Test requiring three more victories to draw level with Michael Vaughan as the most successful England captain (in terms of the number of Tests won) in history. He is also three Tests short of equalling Mike Athertons record of 54 Tests as England captain.While his reputation as a leader may never match that of Brearley - whose win percentage of 58.06% as captain is well ahead of any other England player to have led in 20 Tests or more - Cooks team could also be on the verge of a couple of significant milestones. England lead the series against Pakistan 2-1 and, if they avoid defeat in the final Test, they will hold the trophy in all nine bilateral series against Test opposition. And, if they win the Test, they could be rated as the No. 1 Test team in the next few weeks if other results go their way.But while Cook admitted he will discuss his future with the team management after the Oval Test, he said he is the most comfortable he has ever been in the role at present and that, with significant challenges looming for his side in the near future, he would be reluctant to shirk responsibility when his experience may be at its most valuable.At the end of every series, Ill sit down with Trevor Bayliss and Andrew Strauss and discuss the future of the side and where we want to go, Cook said. Well discuss whether I am still the right captain for this team or if it is time to move on after this series or after India. We always now talk about that for my sanity as well.At the moment Im enjoying it. The dressing room seems to be in a good place. Its the most comfortable Ive felt captaining a side.The last year or so Ive really felt comfortable in the captaincy role and everything it brings with it on and off the field. I am really enjoying it and all those hard moments Ive had - obviously theyre not gone - but in one sense, it would seem wrong to give it up quite yet.At the forefront of Cooks mind is the prospect of seven Tests in Asia before Christmas. If England are to have any chance in India, in particular, they will not only need to draw on all the experience Cook possesses but they will need Joe Root (his obvious successor) to score heavily. Adding the burden of captaincy to a man with so little experience in the role and so much already expected of him may well prove overly onerous.Weve some tough challenges ahead, Cook said. Weve these five days and then seven straight Tests in the sub-continent - 11 weeks away - so I think were going to need some strong leadership. Its going to be a really tough tour for a lot of people. Weve got to be on it as a group.Cooks reputation as a leader is interesting. While captains are often rated on their on-field tactics -field placing and bowling changes, for example - much of their work takes place away from the cameras. You could argue that Cooks finest moment as captain came ahead of the India tour in 2012. After insisting on the return of Kevin Pietersen to the England team - an impressive feat of diplomacy at the time - he then led from the front with an outstanding display of batting that helped his team to a memorable series victory.More recently, his recommendation that James Anderson apologise to the umpires and then explain his actions to the media during the Edgbaston Test averted a possible suspension or fine. And, when we look back on this series against Pakistan, it may be that we reflect on his decision not to enforce the follow-on at Manchester as a defining moment. It was not a popular decision at the time - Cook seems untroubled about courting popularity - but, by batting again, England crushed an already jaded Pakistan side into the dust through exhaustion and disappointment. The signs, so far, are that they have never fully recovered.If there have been moments when his admirable determination has manifested itself as stubbornness, such as his refusal to accept his continued presence in the ODI side was holding back the team, he has also led England through a period of considerable upheaval - the 2013-14 Ashes thrashing, the Pietersen affair, the departures of Andy Flower, Ashley Giles, Peter Moores and Paul Downton and his over-the-top vilification in the media at the hands of Piers Morgan - to calmer, happier times which feature predictable selections, greater willingness to interact with supporters and some results - not least wining in India and South Africa and defeating Australia in England - which demand respect.Besides, it could be argued that Brealeys success was, in part, due to his career coinciding with Ian Botham being at his best as an allrounder. Just as Vaughan later relied upon Andrew Flintoff at his peak - and for a couple of years, Flintoff was a terrific cricketer - Brearley, for a while, had both Botham and Tony Greig to balance his side. While he deserved credit for coaxing the best out of Botham, we may one day look back on Cooks period of captaincy and reflect that the emergence of Ben Stokes (and Chris Woakes, among others) helped him take the England team to another level.Cook is no orator but, while Brearleys record as a leader is unquestioned, it should never be forgotten that his batting average of 22.88 is less than half that of Cook, which currently stands at 47.55. Really, it may be time to give Cooks leadership a little more respect.Perhaps, if England can reach No. 1 again and claim all nine bilateral Test series trophies, that respect may come. Cook agrees with James Anderson that this side is more naturally talented than the one that last achieved the No. 1 ranking in 2011 and feels that, whatever happens over the next few months, it is a couple of years away from fulfilling its potential.It would be a really good achievement by our guys, Cook said. But I genuinely think its come a little bit early for us a side. It would be a great achievement and one you can be very proud of when you finish playing cricket.But, as I keep saying, theres still questions that need to be answered. Were not at the level we were in 2012. Then everyone had played 30 or 40 Test matches at the very least.This is a more talented team. There are people who can turn a game in a session. The team in 2011-12 was a very consistent, hard-nosed team that was very hard to beat. Weve got a way to go to that level, but as you saw with some of the brilliance of Ben Stokes, getting a hundred in a session - that kind of stuff is whats very exciting about this team.Could Cook walk away from that excitement? It seems unlikely. And, as a developing England side search for stability and consistency, that should draw of sigh of relief from their supporters. Adidas NMD R1 Aanbieding . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Adidas Stan Smith Nederland . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. http://www.nmdtekoop.com/futurecraft-4d-sneakers.html . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. Adidas Superstar Goedkoop . Hazard cut in from the left and scored with a swerving right-footed shot for ninth goal of the season, which proved to be enough for the victory despite Chelseas forwards again lacking a cutting edge up front. Adidas NMD R1 Goedkoop . -- Peyton Manning will have all of his wide receivers available for the first time in a month when the Denver Broncos begin their playoff run Jan. Just as a starving man probably doesnt skip pudding, England werent going to miss out on the feast offered to them in Rajkot.On the sort of pitch batsmen want to whisk to Paris for a weekend of romance, England took the opportunity to recover from the privations of Dhaka with a gluttonous display.It wasnt just the pitch, either. India put down at least five catchable chances, fumbled a run-out opportunity and, within the first two overs of the second day, had shepherded two balls to the boundary. By early afternoon Virat Kohli looked murderous and the bowlers - who generally deserved much better - looked bewildered. Really, India has been a marvellous host. Some of this fielding would have drawn chuckles from the Pakistan side at the 2015 World Cup.But it would be a mistake not to credit England. For three men to score centuries in an innings - the first time England have done so since defeating Sri Lanka in Cardiff in 2011 and the first time they have done so in India since 1961 - in a land where no visiting player has managed one once since 2013 deserves praise. As does becoming the first visiting team to make 500 in India since they did it in Kolkata in 2012.But most of all, England made it clear - to themselves as much as anyone - they were not going to be intimidated by spin. Of course confidence was knocked by the Dhaka debacle. Of course there was some trepidation about facing the No.1 Test bowler at home. But they proved to themselves - and to India - that the last innings in Bangladesh was something of an aberration and that they had learned from the experience. Whether it leads to a win or not, England may look back on this first innings of this series as a psychological victory.It is true that conditions later in the series - perhaps later in the game - will grow tougher. But Englands batsmen will face them boosted by the knowledge of this success. Instead of the doubts and demons that could have been planted by Dhaka, they face the next challenges with confidence high. These things matter.It is entirely typical of this new England that they took a bold response to their latest challenge. While previous England sides might have responded to such setbacks with a grimly determined display of defence - think of Abu Dhabi in 2012, when Englands openers took 15 overs for their first 21 runs and the side was bowled out for 72 in the fourth innings - England took every opportunity to attack Indias spinners.It wasnt just the fours and sixes. It was the general attitude that oozed a refusal to be intimidated. It was using the crease, using their feet, pushing the singles and being prepared to hit over the top. We didnt just prod around, Moeen Ali said. We used our feet and took the attacking option.R Ashwin, who went into the game rated the worlds best Test bowler and with a daunting recent record - he averaged 19.86 in Tests this year before this series - conceded more runs in an innings than at any time since Kolkata in 2012. Jonny Bairstow treated Amit Mishra so harshly it almost amounted to bullying.Most of all, though, this was Ben Stokes day. Boosted by his greatly improved defence against spin - a feature that was first witnessed in Chittagong - Stokes now has the luxury of only needing to attack on merit. And when conditions are this favourable, when you have as many attacking options and as much strength as him, there is merit in much. His batting average this year is now 57.25 and his bowling average 19.80. It feels like a genuine breakthrough.That credit for his success - and that of Moeen - extends beyond the team, too. It belongs, in part, to the management and selectors who have stuck with the pair through some lean times and have found a way to coax the best out of their very different talents and characters.The key to getting the best out of both of them was making them feel valued. So, even when Stokes was injured, he was invited to spend time in the dressing room.dddddddddddd And every time a member of the management has been asked about potential future leaders, Stokes has been mentioned. On days when he was dismissed playing horrid strokes - and there have been a few (Grenada springs to mind) - the management has been careful not to criticise him in public and continued to praise his aggressive style while working quietly on adding some sophistication to his game.It is probably no coincidence that all three of Stokes previous Test innings against India were ducks and that they were made batting at No. 8 or No.9. Given the responsibility of batting at No. 6, given the ostentatious vote of confidence in his ability, he has responded with increasingly polished and mature performances. He now averages 41.88 in the position. Every day, in every way, the management has helped develop his talent while encouraging his responsibility. You wonder how good the likes of Graeme Hick or Mark Ramprakash might have been had they benefited from such management.It is a similar story with Moeen. Largely wasted at No. 8, he had started to lose belief in himself as a batsman. He talked of feeling embarrassed with some of the shots he played and started to bat like a useful tail-ender (he averaged 28.06 in the position) rather than the richly talented thoroughbred he had always been previously.In a previous age, the selectors would have given up on him. Instead they moved him to No. 7 for the English summer and he responded with two centuries. This, his third Test century in six months, giving him an average of 45.86 batting at Nos. 5, 6 or 7 in Test cricket.I used to go out and almost give my wicket away sometimes, he said. But the last few months, I have tried to bat like a No. 3 and really taken the responsibility of a batsman.Its very important Ben and I feel very important to the team. And when I was batting at No. 7 or 8, I forgot the time I need to bat. I forgot about scoring singles and proper batting mentality.Since Ive come to No.5, I feel like I can go back to that now and try to bat a long time. Its a change of mentality. My aim is to bat 200 balls, and if I do that Ill score a hundred. I feel Ive got my batting back to where I want it to be.I enjoy those kind of situations when were struggling a little bit. I feel it brings out the best in me. Obviously it doesnt always come off, but it gets me into the zone. If there is any criticism of the England performance - and any complaint must sound like a spoiled child at Christmas demanding a pony even as they unwrap their new bicycle - you do wonder if they might look back and regret not keeping India in the field for another session. There was a period after lunch when India were visibly flagging under a mercilessly hot sun (at one stage a pigeon fainted in the press box and fell to a feathery end in a fan, though some suggested its broken left wing was a comment on American politics) and England, instead of grinding out a total of 600, opted to thrash runs as quickly as possible. As a result, Bairstow and Adil Rashid fell to selfless but soft dismissals and India had a chance to bat after tea.Usually that would be a perfectly reasonable tactic. But on this surface? It remains good for batsmen for now. But there were just a few signs - Moeen turned two balls prodigiously - that it will grow far more difficult. It might, therefore, have made sense to keep Indias batsmen from using it until it had deteriorated a little more. First-innings runs will surely be far easier to score than second innings.But that is a minor quibble at the end of an excellent couple of days for England. After the way the Bangladesh tour ended, they could hardly have dreamed of better. ' ' '