Alastair Cook's best man's speech

http://nestaquin.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/alastair-cooks-best-mans-speech/

Top speech.

I'm reading Ed Cowan's book at the moment. He said that Cook is just about the best guy he has met in cricket.

Henry wrote:http://nestaquin.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/alastair-cooks-best-mans-speech/

Bookmarked

JGK wrote:I'm reading Ed Cowan's book at the moment. He said that Cook is just about the best guy he has met in cricket.

Still can't get my head around him writing a book before playing international cricket.

He keeps a diary anyway. Gideon Haigh convinced him to turn into a book.

Don't think of it as an autobiography or one of the Waugh/Ponting diaries. It is much more introspective than that.

Things that I have picked up:

- even at shield level, most of the players eat and breathe cricket. More so probably given that their sacrifices aren't much different to the test players but the rewards less

- the swings in confidence and form seem far more volatile than I had imagined. Form (or at least feeling good walking out to the crease) seems to be a day by day proposition

- even good shield level (and now test level players) hold the greats like Ponting in awe

- he was very blunt about the Aust A game being very different because it was more a collection of individuals going for a job interview than an actual team

- players on the cusp of the next level are obviously aware about how their rivals are performing. Cowan said that he was disappointed not to be picked initially for the Aust A game in 2010 behind Shaun Marsh because Marsh had scored less 100s in the previous 3 years than Cowan had scored in the his previous 10 matches

Red wrote:

JGK wrote:I'm reading Ed Cowan's book at the moment. He said that Cook is just about the best guy he has met in cricket.

Still can't get my head around him writing a book before playing international cricket.

Salman Rushdie, Jeffrey Archer, Dan Brown........

Believe it or not, Ed Cowan isn't the first person ever to write a book before playing international cricket.

Henry wrote:

Red wrote:

JGK wrote:I'm reading Ed Cowan's book at the moment. He said that Cook is just about the best guy he has met in cricket.

Still can't get my head around him writing a book before playing international cricket.

Salman Rushdie, Jeffrey Archer, Dan Brown........

Believe it or not, Ed Cowan isn't the first person ever to write a book before playing international cricket.

That's pretty good for you Trev.

Although it might have been better in Archer's case if he'd waited until he'd played international cricket....

Aye!

What a brilliant speech!

Who was best man?

In literary terms, Cowen is a cut above your average cricketer. I've been reading his columns/articles since he came down to Tassie & have found him (with many others) to be very refreshing & forthright. He gives an insight into first class cricket that we mortals would never know about.

Wasn't there rumours of Cooky being gay for a long time?

i think it was Trev wishing for it rather than actual rumours

Trev's moved on to Lady Di

horace wrote:Trev's moved on to Lady Di

No-one's gone as fixated and gushy about a player as you have about Siddle you sad hypocrite

Huh???....noted his 5 wickets as a highlight from yesterday and in another post noted his averages were better than Broads but that if other bowlers are fit Siddle would be lucky to get a game in the next ashes series...

I've seen many a post.

Brass Monkey wrote:I've seen many a post.

You damned fool

fairy 'nuff...would be amazed if I had claimed he was a champ...he has no doubt improved but at best will be a good test bowler...tgm he aint

Always liked him and rated his manful capabilities. Haven't had the compulsion to mention him every second post like some, though.

Brass Monkey wrote:Always liked him and rated his manful capabilities. Haven't had the compulsion to mention him every second post like some, though.

agreed...now let's talk about Hilfy, koo, cummins and OP

horace wrote:agreed...now let's talk about Hilfy, koo, cummins and OP

Always liked Hilfenhaus, think he lost his way somewhere. He's all the better for time away from the team and come back as I remembered him when I first saw him.

Starc's okay... inconsistent. Looks incredibly troublesome when on the money... all over the shop when he's not. Hmm, that reminds me of someone.

Cummins is good and could become a very good bowler. I'm not sure he's quite there. He's only very young. Think in ways his debut was mildly overrated. Maybe gonna be a crock as well.

Pattinson's very good, to move the ball at high pace is quite a rare thing really. I'm looking forward to see him on other pitches, though. Same with Cummins really. The likes of Hilf and Siddle can hack it in those conditions, these have q marks over them. Maybe be gonna be a crock as well. Huge questions about his temperament.

It's good to see an uninjured Hilfy again. He's bowled a lot of overs in this series, though, a lot more than Siddle, even. He'll need a rest after this match.