Cook says he deserved the axe
Melbourne, Dec. 28: Alastair Cook said selectors would have been entitled to drop him over his poor form — before his masterful double- century put England in a winning position in the fourth Ashes Test.
The unflappable opening batsman crushed Australia’s hopes of sweeping the five- Test series with an unbeaten 244 Thursday to put the tourists 164 runs ahead of Australia with two days left. The Ashes are already gone after England lost the opening three Tests, with Cook contributing just 83 runs in six innings. But he made at least partial amends with his towering double- century.
Cook, 33, said he would have understood being dropped, but he bounced back in the Boxing Day Test to present his team with a chance of victory.
“( They) would have been entitled just because I literally hadn’t scored a run since Edgbaston,” Cook said, referring to his 243 against the West Indies in August.
“I always feel I’ve got the backing of the selectors but you’ve still got to deliver the goods, I hadn’t done that on this tour. very frustrating.”
At the close, Cook had been at the crease for 634 minutes and faced 409 balls to deny the Australians despite being dropped twice on 66 and 153 by Steve Smith. Cook broke a number of records along the way. He surpassed the highest score by a visiting batsman in a Melbourne Test. It was