STOKES IS THE MOST SELFLESS CRICKETER I’VE PLAYED WITH. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE TEAM
SIR ALASTAIR COOK believes Ben will be the perfect stand-in England captain
Sir Alastair Cook is reflecting on the first real test of his ability to play shots on the other side of the cricketing fence, when he found himself in the Test
Match Special commentary box calling the closing stages of the Miracle of Headingley.
‘it was a privilege to be there watching that innings from Ben Stokes,’ says the two-time Ashes-winning captain. ‘i don’t know if it was a dangerous place to be, but i almost forgot i was commentating. i was an England fan willing those runs to be scored.
‘i was living every shot and could barely watch at times. The evidence of that was when Nathan Lyon should have run out Jack Leach. i was shouting: “No, no, no” on air, which is exactly what i would have been doing in the changing room. There was obviously not the same sense of achievement afterwards as when i was in the team, but it will be another very special memory from my time in the game.’
He may not have exactly taken a leaf out of the John Arlott school of broadcasting with his modern way of describing the action, but it was the day last year that Cook, 35, proved he belonged in the high-quality world of England captains turned pundits.
Not least when, with hyperbole taking hold in the aftermath of those astonishing Ashes scenes, he calmly and authoritatively told listeners that he had just watched ‘the greatest ever innings by an Englishman’.
‘i’m not known for getting words in the right order a lot of the time,’ smiles a man who was not always a natural communicator with the media while becoming England’s highest runscorer. ‘But that innings had everything you could ever want. Just everything. There was defence and stubbornness at first, because Ben knew if England were to have any chance, he needed to be there the next day.
‘Then he knew when to attack, took control of the strike and dealt with the Jos Buttler run out. Ben handled everything that could be thrown at him. That’s why i said what i did, because it was the complete innings to win a Test.
‘And to see it made by a guy i’ve played with a lot, seeing the ups and downs and the progression of his career along the way, was unbelievable. When i saw him at the end with his arms in the air i just thought: “That’s perfect”.’
Now, having surprised himself at how much he enjoyed dipping his toe in the media waters, Cook will be at the Ageas Bowl on
Wednesday for the first Test as a key part of cricket’s return to BBC television, as well as continuing with the TMS team.
it is a big moment for cricket viewing in the UK, with highlights back on terrestrial TV at a family-friendly time on BBC 2, and Cook, who spent his whole recordbreaking career behind a paywall, is perfectly qualified to talk about a delicate subject. After all, ECB market research in 2016 found more youngsters recognised American wrestler John Cena than the then England cricket captain.
‘He was a very good wrestler, to be fair,’ laughs Cook. ‘i don’t mind being beaten by a good one. Look, Sky have done an unbelievably good job. There’s no question the England team would not have been able to achieve half as much in my time without their huge investment in the game. And the quality and commitment of their coverage is top drawer.
‘But i just think we have reached the stage when everyone realises cricket needs to be on terrestrial TV as well. if Sky and the BBC can find a way to work together in creating revenue while getting the game to the biggest audience, then they will provide the perfect platform for cricket to continue to grow post Covid-19. i accept it’s a tough one, but that balancing act is vital.’
Cook will be at the forefront of the BBC coverage having earned his stripes alongside the man he describes as the ‘perfect teacher’, Jonathan Agnew. ‘it’s not for me to say it has gone well for me in the commentary box so far, but i have enjoyed it,’ Cook tells Sportsmail. ‘You get an element of still being involved in something that’s been such a big part of your life, but you see things very differently away from the emotion of the bubble. ‘it’s not that you lack emotion, because you still care for the guys who are playing, but you can quickly forget what the players go through. You can forget the nerves and stress. You don’t have that as a commentator, but you have to be very careful you don’t forget it. i say it openly that doing this can be hard in one way when you know the players really well, because there is that boundary i won’t cross at this moment in time. ‘Your friendship is worth more than a headline. i’m sure that will get easier as time goes on and i know the players less, but i can still talk about cricket, give my opinion and analyse what happened. ‘i’ve got a lot to learn, but even if i’m lucky enough to be doing this in ten years, i still think i’ll have that bias towards England.’ That closeness to the players is evident when Cook assesses England’s stand-in skipper Stokes. ‘Ben the captain will be as you see him as a player,’ says Cook. ‘He will lead from the front and if
He has that Ian Botham attitude of “I’ll just do it”
there’s a situation where England need someone to step forward, it will still be him. It will be that Ian Botham-like attitude of “I’ll just do it” and that’s a tremendous trait.
‘England talk about developing leaders because the more you have in a side the better, and that will help in Ben’s development for that time down the line when Joe might be coming to the end.
‘Ben is simply the most selfless cricketer I’ve ever played with. It’s all about the team with him. You will get the passion and skill and he will grow into the captaincy. Everyone will say: “Has he got too much on his plate?” and: “When should he bowl?” but that turns it into a negative. It should be all about this once-in-a-generation cricketer and what he can bring. For this one game, it’s perfect for Ben to progress even further.’ Cook likes what he sees in the development of the England team under Root and his former Essex coach Chris Silverwood. ‘We are starting to see a formula under Silverwood that is working,’ says Cook.
‘England are now picking players in their right positions and trying to get the best team rather than just the best 11 players on the field. There was real clarity in South Africa. They wanted the best top three to build a platform and a varied attack that gave Joe and now Ben lots of options. I hope they carry on doing that.’
One newcomer Cook could be commentating on in Southampton is a player he has seen emerge at close quarters, Essex youngster Dan Lawrence. ‘He wouldn’t be overawed,’ says Cook of a possible debut against West Indies.
‘Dan has played some incredible innings for Essex. The hundred against Surrey in 2017 when we’d just been promoted gave everyone belief we belonged in the top division. It gave us a lift as a county.
‘He has matured since then and knows more about his game now and he’s on that path of finding out more about himself.
‘He’s not the finished article, which he wouldn’t be at 22, but he’s a seriously talented cricketer and mentally he’s ready for the challenge of the higher level.’
The man who had a perfect farewell to Test cricket at the Oval two years ago and was then instrumental in Essex winning the Championship last year will wait to see what the domestic season brings before he knows if his stint with a microphone will continue beyond the first Test.
‘It’s a bit up in the air because they are saying the start date is August 1, but there’s no schedule yet,’ says Cook. ‘Essex have been very kind letting me do this next week, but if there’s first-class cricket I’ll go back to that.’
Yet he now knows what his future will bring on top of work on the family farm beyond the last year of his Essex contract in 2021. ‘When I was a player I tried to use as little energy on the media as possible,’ admits Cook. ‘Now I’m thinking about what I’m trying to say and putting a lot more energy into it.
‘I always understood the media was a big and important part of the game, absolutely, but I could also understand if a player looked a bit uninterested if he had to talk at the end of a long, hard day.
‘I know we have to promote the game and people want to look into the soul of a cricketer, but his energy is about scoring runs and taking wickets and then it takes a lot of energy again to come across well at the end of a day’s play.
‘I know the other side now. It’s very different in the commentary box to being a player, but I’m paying more attention to it all and what I say and hopefully that comes across.
‘Ultimately it will come down to whether the people listening or watching feel I do a good enough job to have a long-term future in broadcasting. That’s the nature of anything. The bottom line is I love cricket and I know that talking about it in a way that attempts to communicate your views to someone watching is a real skill.’
And it is a skill this batting master craftsman is determined to learn more about. Highlights of the Test series between England and West Indies begin on Wednesday on BBC 2 from 7pm.