100th Test marks counterparts
13 Dec 2013 5:52 AM IST
It is a great achievement for two master batsmen but given their competitive nature, only a win at the WACA will allow either to really enjoy passing what was once the rarest of milestones.
For Clarke, victory would secure a 3-0 series triumph and the return of the coveted urn after three consecutive Ashes defeats at the hands of his country’s greatest sporting rival.
‘I think that’s why it’s most special for me, that we have the chance to win the Ashes,’ Clarke told reporters at the WACA on Thursday.
‘It’s obviously fantastic that I’ve been able to play 99 Tests for my country, something I’m certainly proud of, but in regards to it being my 100th Test match, it’s not my focus, there’s enough other reasons why this match is special to me and this team.’
For Cook, a first win for the tourists in Perth since 1978 would arrest an alarming decline in the fortunes of the England team since they arrived in Australia charged with confidence after a dominant 3-0 win back home earlier this year.
‘It’s a huge honour to join the hundred club and one I thought I’d never get to,’ the 28-year-old told reporters. ‘It is a special day and it will make it an even more special week if we can produce the sort of performance we know we’re capable of.’
That they both reach the milestone in what could be the decisive moment of an Ashes series should not detract from the achievement of two players who will one day go down in the record books as the best their countries have produced.
Clarke is four years the senior and has just edged ahead in the statistics during this series with 26 Test centuries to Cook’s 25 and 7,940 runs to the Englishman’s 7,883.
‘I think he deserves a lot of credit for the success he’s had over a long period of time and his record is something he should be really proud of,’ Clarke said.
‘He’s a wonderful guy, I really enjoy playing against him. He’s a very good captain. He’s always been a prize wicket for the Australian team and this Test match is no different.’
Cook repaid the compliments in kind. ‘It’s strange isn’t it? How it’s both captains in the same game,’ said Cook. ‘He’s obviously had an incredible career and he’s been the leading batsman (in the world) for the last couple of years.
‘We’ve had a fair few battles along the way, both of us, and he’s one of these guys when you stop playing cricket you’ll remember playing against him.
Team hungry as ever, says Alastair Cook
PERTH: England captain insisted on Thursday his under-pressure team was as hungry as ever and did not need lifting, despite being crushed in the first two Ashes Tests by Australia.
Cook, who like Australian skipper Michael Clarke will play his 100th Test in Perth from Friday, said his side retained the belief that they can prevent Australia winning at the WACA to take an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-Test series. ‘Our confidence has obviously had a hit from the first two Test matches,’ he told reporters, referring to Brisbane and Adelaide.
‘But as a squad we’ve made a conscious effort to look forward rather than back. We think we’ve got our preparations right.’
England will go into the Test with coach Andy Flower suggesting there will be changes from the team that played in Adelaide, where they opted for two spinners in Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann.
Perth is more of a fast-bowlers track and Panesar is expected to miss out, although a team has yet to be announced.
‘We have taken some serious hits but we do have a squad full of people who are determined to turn the ship around, and that’s what we must do,’ Flower said ahead of the game.
Cook said his team, which has struggled under the firepower of Australia’s Mitchell Johnson-led pace attack, needed to start performing the way he knows they can. Nathan Lyon to play.
STAT ATTACK: *England have won only once in 12 visits to the WACA ground, against an Australian side emasculated by Kerry Packer defections in 1978-79.
*Australia’s recent record at the WACA ground is far from spotless, having won three matches against West Indies, England and India but lost three against India and South Africa twice since their great team began to dismantle in 2007.
* Only the Don Bradman-inspired Australians of 1936-37 have managed to win an Ashes series from 2-0 down after the first two matches.
For Clarke, victory would secure a 3-0 series triumph and the return of the coveted urn after three consecutive Ashes defeats at the hands of his country’s greatest sporting rival.
‘I think that’s why it’s most special for me, that we have the chance to win the Ashes,’ Clarke told reporters at the WACA on Thursday.
‘It’s obviously fantastic that I’ve been able to play 99 Tests for my country, something I’m certainly proud of, but in regards to it being my 100th Test match, it’s not my focus, there’s enough other reasons why this match is special to me and this team.’
For Cook, a first win for the tourists in Perth since 1978 would arrest an alarming decline in the fortunes of the England team since they arrived in Australia charged with confidence after a dominant 3-0 win back home earlier this year.
‘It’s a huge honour to join the hundred club and one I thought I’d never get to,’ the 28-year-old told reporters. ‘It is a special day and it will make it an even more special week if we can produce the sort of performance we know we’re capable of.’
That they both reach the milestone in what could be the decisive moment of an Ashes series should not detract from the achievement of two players who will one day go down in the record books as the best their countries have produced.
Clarke is four years the senior and has just edged ahead in the statistics during this series with 26 Test centuries to Cook’s 25 and 7,940 runs to the Englishman’s 7,883.
‘I think he deserves a lot of credit for the success he’s had over a long period of time and his record is something he should be really proud of,’ Clarke said.
‘He’s a wonderful guy, I really enjoy playing against him. He’s a very good captain. He’s always been a prize wicket for the Australian team and this Test match is no different.’
Cook repaid the compliments in kind. ‘It’s strange isn’t it? How it’s both captains in the same game,’ said Cook. ‘He’s obviously had an incredible career and he’s been the leading batsman (in the world) for the last couple of years.
‘We’ve had a fair few battles along the way, both of us, and he’s one of these guys when you stop playing cricket you’ll remember playing against him.
Team hungry as ever, says Alastair Cook
PERTH: England captain insisted on Thursday his under-pressure team was as hungry as ever and did not need lifting, despite being crushed in the first two Ashes Tests by Australia.
Cook, who like Australian skipper Michael Clarke will play his 100th Test in Perth from Friday, said his side retained the belief that they can prevent Australia winning at the WACA to take an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-Test series. ‘Our confidence has obviously had a hit from the first two Test matches,’ he told reporters, referring to Brisbane and Adelaide.
‘But as a squad we’ve made a conscious effort to look forward rather than back. We think we’ve got our preparations right.’
England will go into the Test with coach Andy Flower suggesting there will be changes from the team that played in Adelaide, where they opted for two spinners in Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann.
Perth is more of a fast-bowlers track and Panesar is expected to miss out, although a team has yet to be announced.
‘We have taken some serious hits but we do have a squad full of people who are determined to turn the ship around, and that’s what we must do,’ Flower said ahead of the game.
Cook said his team, which has struggled under the firepower of Australia’s Mitchell Johnson-led pace attack, needed to start performing the way he knows they can. Nathan Lyon to play.
STAT ATTACK: *England have won only once in 12 visits to the WACA ground, against an Australian side emasculated by Kerry Packer defections in 1978-79.
*Australia’s recent record at the WACA ground is far from spotless, having won three matches against West Indies, England and India but lost three against India and South Africa twice since their great team began to dismantle in 2007.
* Only the Don Bradman-inspired Australians of 1936-37 have managed to win an Ashes series from 2-0 down after the first two matches.
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