London: England’s One-day International captain Alastair Cook, who answered his critics by smashing 95 runs off 75 balls in the team’s ODI win over Sri Lanka Wednesday, said his cracking knock reinforced his belief that he is good enough in the 50-over format of the game.
England crushed Lanka by 10 wickets on Wednesday to square the five-match series 2-2 ahead of Saturday’s Old Trafford finale.
Cook has been criticised from various quarters since his appointment as captain, mainly raising questions on his effectiveness as a player in the 50-over format. Former captain Michael Atherton had called him a “plodder” in his batting style and “a bit of donkey in the field.”
But Cook made a strong statement in the team’s emphatic 10-wicket win here, playing a blistering innings that included 16 fours. Cook and Craig Kieswetter shared a record 171-run stand for the first wicket to reach the target with more than 24 overs to spare and level the series at 2-2.
“I have always known that I can play the one-day game. It is just a matter of trying to prove it to people,” Cook was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
“I can’t remember batting much better than that. If I can keep batting with that tempo, it holds me in good stead.”
Cook said he enjoyed batting on the pacy Nottingham pitch.
“The pitch was exactly what we asked for. The groundsmen can take a lot of credit. They were very brave to leave that much grass on for us. It was very clear that we had to play our four seamers.”
“I think the way we batted proved that this was the best wicket we have played on in four games. I thought the pitch was as flat as I came on. It came on to the bat very nicely. It was just that the first few overs it did a little bit. It was just the carry. We are very good in those conditions.” (IANS)