Ashes 2017-18: Steve Waugh makes interesting observation about Alastair Cook

Tags: The Ashes 2017-18, Australia, England, Steve Waugh, Alastair Nathan Cook

Published on: Nov 01, 2017

With the Ashes 2017-18 set to begin next month former Australian captain Steve Waugh has said that experienced opener Alastair Cook is past his prime.

With the Ashes 2017-18 set to begin next month former Australian captain Steve Waugh has said that experienced opener Alastair Cook is past his prime.

Cook scored over 750 runs during the 2010-11 series in Australia, but Waugh opines he is not the same batsman anymore.

“Cook will have a tough series, particularly against Mitchell Starc. He’s still a very good player but I don’t think he’s the player he was a couple of years ago. Having said that, he knows how to make runs and he’s got an amazing record,” Waugh was quoted as saying in a cricket.com.au report.

“But against Starc and Hazelwood and Cummins, they’ll really test him out. He’ll have to be on his best game and for England to do well in this series, he needs to score a lot of runs and occupy the crease,” Waugh added.

Waugh also felt Cook's mental toughness could be played around with. “The big question is the swinging ball, if he gets knocked out a couple of times in the first Test match, he’ll have some doubts in his mind. Australia will really focus in on Cook and Root at the top of the order, if they can knock those guys out cheaply than it does expose the middle order,” he further said.

--By A Cricket Correspondent

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