KP by some distance. More entertaining and done it in all 3 forms of the game. Cook only in the easiest form but I do agree Cook is the best English batsman.
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KP by some distance. More entertaining and done it in all 3 forms of the game. Cook only in the easiest form but I do agree Cook is the best English batsman.
Slighy tremor felt on the WUM meter. . .
cook has too, he has a centuary in Australia against them, and of course you cant forget his scores in the last ashes albeit against a much worse attack. im pretty sure he has a centuary agaisnt every opposition he has played, and both home and away. im certain he has one in south africa, he got one this year too, he has done it in india, both on his debut and now. i think sri lanka and new zealand are the only two places i can think of where he hasnt scored a ton in.
It's not so much a slight on Cook as a recognition of Pietersen's ability to occasionally play phenomenal innings that few others can, sometimes against the better bowlers. Colombo and his hundred against South Africa would be this year's examples. He just sandwiches those between loads of rubbish scores. In that respect he has a higher ceiling than Cook, but Cook has scored big most of the time. They were both utter lemons against Ajmal and friends so that's not worth pursuing. I don't recall Cook doing very well against Steyn, Philander and Morkel this year.
Generally I think it's too simplistic to narrow it down to scoring against/in this country or that country. A century in India is barely an achievement these days and the last Ashes was simply the beatdown of some absolute jokers. Quality of bowler has to be the first barometer.
cook got a ton against south africa this year too :good:
pietersen can play innings that no one else can, he is a joy to watch when he is in that kind of form, he can take apart a bowling attack in a blink of an eye and be destructive that way. i love watching KP as much as i love watching cook, both are two different styles that i love watching.
i think with cook is you expect him to do well, and he can take apart a bowling attack by just being stubborn, concentration 100% and just taking each ball at a time making the bowlers work harder, tire them and punish all bad balls while not offering them any hope. that his style of destruction compared to kps. since the ashes in 2010. cook has taken to scoring big hundreds rather then before where he would between 100-130, now when he gets a hundred most of the time he will get past 150.
one difference i find, is when both are out of form, cook can still get a score, it might not be a ton but can get above 50, kp cant when he is out form. against ajmal this year, cook did get at least one 50, i dont think kp did. i might be wrong.
1) Yeah that's the point I was making about Pietersen. The ability to do that - not only score, but the manner of scoring - against the better bowlers is a significant marker for overall ability.
2) I agree there. Pietersen is comedy gold when out of form.
Could have got 50-1 for England to win the series after the first test. How annoying.
England were all out for 523.
India got to 86-0. 166-8 now. :haha: Anderson with two wickets, Swann with two and Finn with three.
Pujara was run out. Sehwag top scorer with 49.
197-9, Monty gets Sharma!
Ashwin moves to 53.
England will have to bat again with that. :lol: