England’s report card for 2nd Test: Cook tops the class

Alastair Cooks tops, gaining nine out of the maximum ten.

By David Green

Following are the marks assigned to the England team in the just-concluded second Test at Lord’s. Alastair Cooks tops, gaining nine out of the maximum ten.

Andrew Strauss – 3: A poor game for the skipper. Two failures against Chanaka Welegedara led to whispers of a perceived weakness against left-arm seam. His last 17 Tests have fetched him only one hundred and a worrying average of 32. If that wasn’t enough his bowlers were wayward and his wicket-keeper unruly. No wonder he was left shaking his head. Final day declaration was disappointingly unadventurous.

Alastair Cook – 9: Now has a Bradmanesque six hundreds in his last 12 Test innings. It would have been seven, but for an uncharacteristic miscued pull on 96 in the first innings. Cook is only 26, but has now passed none other than Jack Hobbs in the list of leading England run makers and already has 18 hundreds to his name. The records are his for the taking.

Jonathan Trott – 6: No one was more surprised than run-machine Trott at his first innings failure, so he can perhaps be forgiven his erroneous waste of a referral. Bounced back with a fluent 58 off just 75 balls second time around to (temporarily at least) hush those that suggest his batting is boring. Wicket of Tharanga Paranavitana may compensate partly for his career average falling to just 64.

Kevin Pietersen – 6: Absolutely dreadful shot to fail first time around, but bounced back well to look something like his old self in the second innings, even if he did eventually fall again to left-arm spin. Those runs could prove important when India come calling later in the summer. Took a brilliant catch to remove Mahela Jayawardene on the final day.

Ian Bell – 7: Like Cook and Trott, is in the batting form of his life. Bell’s pair of fifties in the match were, however, a stark contrast. The first was watchful and helped lift his side from a precarious 22 for three, whilst the second came up in just 40 balls as England looked for quick runs. He may have to avoid Matt Prior for a couple of days.

Eoin Morgan – 7: His first innings 79 put England in the ascendancy and the way he played the spinners augurs well for the tours this winter to Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Sacrificed himself second time around as England pushed for the declaration.

Matt Prior – 8: The vandal started the match by smashing boundaries at will as he cantered towards a fine hundred and ended it in ignominy after his bat (or was it his gloves?) took offence to one of the Lord’s windows. His mood cannot have been helped by conceding so many byes (32) during the Test. And being run out clearly proved to be the straw that broke the wicket-keeper’s back.

Stuart Broad – 5: Was once again expensive and wayward with the ball and will do well to keep his place when the likes of Anderson and Bresnan are fit. Bright and breezy 50 once again showed how much he loves batting at Lord’s.

Graeme Swann – 6: Burgled three of the last four Sri Lankan first innings wickets, but this was not vintage Swann on a pitch that gave him little assistance. At least England’s spin king was accurate and economical.

Chris Tremlett – 6: After his final day heroics in Cardiff, it was perhaps inevitable that Tremlett would have a dip, and that’s exactly what he had as his radar went a bit awry at the start of the Sri Lankan first innings. He was still England’s best seamer though and bowled the occasional devilish delivery (as Tillakaratne Dilshan’s thumb will testify) and proved hard to get away.

Steve Finn – 6: Struggled at first with line and length and bowled his usual quota of boundary balls, but improved as the match wore on and deserved his four wicket haul to become the youngest England bowler to take 50 Test wickets. His knack of taking wickets is a good habit to have.

(David Green is the brain behind the irreverent The Reverse Sweep blog and also writes for a number of cricket publications and sites such as World Cricket Watch. You can follow him on Twitter also @TheReverseSweep. David was a decent schoolboy and club cricketer (and scored his maiden 100 the same week that Sachin Tendulkar scored his first Test ton) but not good enough to fulfil his childhood dream of emulating Douglas Jardine by winning the Ashes in Australia and annoying the locals into the bargain. He now lives with his wife and two young children in the South of France and will one day write the definitive biography of Hedley Verity)