Alastair Cook could turn around his Test form by referring to Gary Palmer, the coach who helped him last time and who thinks old habits are creeping in, says Sean Wilson.
England’s win against India in the first Test at Edgbaston was not only thrilling for the neutral, but it underlined the home side’s gritty determination to pull a win from nowhere when things don’t seem to be going their way. That, in large part, was down to the phenomenal performance of the seam attack to make inroads into a strong-looking Indian batting line-up.
If anything, the effort of the bowlers once again masked the underlying flaws of this England batting line-up. England suffered collapses of 7-71 in the first innings and 4-17 in the second innings. And were it not for the heroics of youngster Sam Curran on day three, England would not have been able to set India the match-winning target that they eventually set.
It remains to be seen if the 33-year-old will return to the technical batting coach to arrest his latest slump in form. Yet, what is evident is that Cook is now reverting to the more sideways-on stance that caused him problems before he started working with Palmer.
Cook will have to find a way back into form because England need him, big time. The home side’s batting line-up at Lord’s is likely to be fragile, with new boy Ollie Pope to bat at No.4 and Jos Buttler moving up one place to No.6 in the absence of Ben Stokes. Therefore, the pressure on the likes of Cook to score big runs could not be greater.
Cook’s latest slump in form in form seems to be coming from technical issues that refuse to go away. Yet, as we found out gloriously in Melbourne, never write off a champion. And if anyone can find a way to turn his fortunes around, Cook can.
