NICK COMPTON: How my old partner Alastair Cook dragged himself back into form

England cricketer and Ashes columnist Nick ComptonGETTY

Nick Compton is Ladbrokes’ Ashes brand ambassador

The Ashes may have gone but individual cricket careers are about far more than one series. And to watch Alastair Cook pull himself out of some serious depths in Melbourne has been nothing short of inspirational.

It was disappointing that for all the talk about fast bouncy pitches the MCG track fell a long way short, just as the Brisbane wicket had.

England’s best batting displays have been on the two slower wickets which doesn’t come as a surprise – but it’s something that the tourists will want to improve upon next time round. 

Another repeating storyline in this series has been Steve Smith delivering when it matters most, and he did so once again in Melbourne. His ability to adapt to the situation is impressive and he has certainly won the captaincy battle with his counterpart Joe Root.

Alastair Cook made an emotional hundred for England at the MCGGETTY

Alastair Cook made an emotional hundred for England at the MCG

But for me this match was about my former opening partner Alastair Cook. There is so much to be said for people who can produce the goods when all outside forces seem to be against them, but I knew Cook could do it.

I called for him and Stuart Broad to be given the chance to pull themselves out of their poor form. You have got to entrust senior players, give them that opportunity and I was really glad to see them supported; they rewarded the selectors by digging deep to find that resolve.

Anyone thinking Cook was going to lie down and not play a big part in any of the five Tests was just silly. I found some of the articles and comments on Twitter very amusing. People who say he is finished and should be dropped know little about the game.

Yes, watching Cook in this series has been a struggle for me and everyone knew how important his contributions were going to be on this tour. 

But to hear him describe his form as “embarrassing” was quite a statement for the all-time leading England batsman. 

Feeling embarrassed about your form is horrible. You can often sit there after another poor dismissal and think “what on earth was that”, and “do I really belong here?”. It really can play games with your mind.

You’ve been there before a number of times and you know you can do it, but the harder you try the more frustrating it is. Hard work, however, is really the only solution. 

I respect Cook so much because he is the master of finding a way. His average for this Ashes series before this recent gargantuan effort was a miserable 11. But that can happen as an opener.

Opening the batting in any form of cricket is a tough ask. It breeds a certain type of individual and only those who have walked the walk know just what you are dealing with. I can assure you it may have been tough watching for the spectators and fans but try being the actual player. Cook will have been going through hell.

The lines of success and failure in cricket are so small, often so much smaller than anything you can see or analyse on TV. There is a hair’s breadth between those two imposters.

And that makes opening the batting even more difficult emotionally as you enter the stage with the score on zero and you and your team at its most vulnerable, against the best bowlers holding a new ball.

And for Cook to come out at the MCG in that situation, having had such an “embarrassing” tour to date, must have been so daunting.

He would have spent the days before this innings digging as deep as he can, drawing on all his favourite superstitions (which may just be thoughts) or other things that have worked before.

Technically, Alastair has a few moving parts to his game. Balance for any batsmen is really the only thing that matters and to achieve this, like any player, he will have spent hours honing his natural movements. 

This is different for everyone. I liked to stand still and react to the ball whereas Alastair has a rather exaggerated back on across movement. But when things aren’t working, whatever your approach, the game becomes incredibly difficult. 

Alastair needs rhythm and relies on his movements back into the ball to happen while his hands work relative to that movement. Watching before this match, his hands and feet were moving at the same time which meant he had no stability. His movements looked laboured and he lacked conviction.

The tricky thing is he would have known that, he would have spent hours trying to get that feeling back.

But ultimately for me it comes down to drive, sheer hunger and determination. And this he has in abundance. Technique and ability without that count for nothing. I truly put down any success I achieved in the game to that alone.

Alastair Cook's unbeaten double hundred drew plaudits from both sides in the AshesGETTY

Alastair Cook’s unbeaten double hundred drew plaudits from both sides in the Ashes

I love hearing Cook say how emotional he felt after his hundred because it shows how much it means to him. He still has huge pride in his performance and that is healthy to see.

The big question for Alastair now will be how many times can he keep dipping into the well, hoping the combination of hard work and the help of the cricketing gods will come to the fore.

But the well doesn’t look like it is dry just yet which can only be a very good thing for this England team as they continue to repair the damage done by three straight Ashes Test defeats.

However, the fear of a whitewash marked next to the England players’ names forever more clearly drove them to the best display they have shown on this tour. Now bring on Sydney.

***Nick Compton is Ladbrokes‘ Ashes brand ambassador. Australia are currently 8/13 favourites to win the fifth Test with England 7/2 outsiders and the draw also at 7/2.***