Test Match Special - How To Win The Ashes: Alastair Cook on the 2010–11 Ashes series

Episode Date: June 12, 2023

Alastair Cook relives an incredible individual performance during the 2010-11 Ashes down under. He had a poor record against Australia coming into the series, but ended it as England's top scorer with an astonishing 766 runs, including three centuries.

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Listen on BBC Sounds. BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. Hello, welcome to this Test Match special podcast series, How to Win the Ashes. Some of cricket's greatest players we're telling us what it takes to be victorious in the sport's biggest battle of them all. Let's go back to 2010,

where Andrew Strauss is attempting to. lead his team to victory in Australia for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century. Key to that will be the form of his fellow opener, Alistair Cook, but the Essex man had struggled against the Australians with only one century in his Two Ashes series so far. All that, though, was about to change. From Five Live Sport, this is the TMS podcast. The Ashes is a great way of seeing as an Australian to come into the English conditions and play with a different ball.

You know, you can get the Dukes and the Cucca Row Ball, very different behaviours. So what you've been brought up on is not what you've got to play in the biggest series. The pitches, you know, so in England with the weather, you know, those variables. And then you go to Australia, you know, I suppose historically, it's probably not quite the same now with the drop in wickets, but you go to Australia and every one of those five test matches, the pitch of the different. And, yeah, and that's what it's a test of, is your team good enough to be at adapt to all? all those changing conditions, and as a player,

are you good enough as a game? I keep going back to under the heightened stresses and strains of it. Are you good enough to cope with that? Taylor, past his umpire, he'll both from very close to the stumps and he caught. I think at the second attempt. Cook is out for a duck. He's an amy a scourries.

Bowls he's bowled him. Alistair Cook is out. He's lost his middle stump. I fear for Alistair Scott because he's clearly not playing well. He's been, if you like, found out. The tour wasn't on my radar because I was patting so bad. I changed my technique. I was in 2009.

After sitting there, I was like, twice now played in Australia, the best side in the world, and I hadn't, you know, I had averaged 30. Was my technique good enough against the real pinnacle of test cricket? So I then did a lot of work after 2009, straight away after that series, when we were Gucci and we sat down and we kind of thrashed out, and I changed my technique. Cook Needs rooms, he's in desperate case of runs now, because you can see that he's just not in the kind of form, and his persona's kind of changed.

is kind of changing. I did my pre-trigger movement. A bit like Jack Alice, be very still at the crease. Backlift, I did have a double one, but try and keep it more tucked in and more precise. And actually, well, I think I scored

200s in the one-day game for Essex at the end of that season. Then went to Bangladesh and South Africa and scored 100 in Durban and 200s in Bangladesh. But then as soon as the ball started moving back around, back in England, that rigid technique just wouldn't get me out of trouble.

Like, wouldn't just, if the ball nipped, I wouldn't just somehow get an inside edge on it and survive, I'd got out. And also I was hitting a lot of balls straight at fielders. I got very stuck. And yeah, I had a terrible summer against. Bangladesh and Pakistan for the, I think I was averaging single figures.

Here goes, Rahmriasis, down the leg side. It's appeal for a catch pie and he's got him. What a strangle. Down the leg side. Cook looking to turn it away. So the Ashes tour wasn't on my radar. It was like, oh my God, I'm playing my last game for England. And that's kind of how that summer was.

I couldn't get out of the rut. And that oval test match after the first. innings I was four not out or something overnight you know I wasn't in any great frame of mind to be socialising around and I just went down to the bar and just was drinking not drinking but I was eating dinner and a couple of drinks on my own so you know like sometimes you just do I don't want to talk to anyone and the sports psychologist like came up to me obviously a bit of a warning sign in it like a bloat he's obviously struggling with his form sitting on his own and he's like are you right and I said well not really I'm about to go and

finish my last innings for England. That's my exact words. And he said, can I help? I said, well, what are you going to do? Bat for me. Like, pretty much just I'm quite happy to be on my own. I just made a pact to myself that that night, it might be my last innings, but don't get out defending. Pretty obvious that they're going to try to get Alice to cook early and pretty obvious. This is do or die possibly for Cook for the immediate future anyway. Which obviously, you've watched enough of my batting. I, you know, a bit about defence and grind the opposition down and build along the innings

but I just didn't want to do that and I also said I'm not going to go and use my technique and my old technique and I hit my first ball before the next morning through midwicket from off stum here goes on me air ball in the first day of the day it's a nice shot by Cup it threw wide mid Arnack towards the scoreboard and it's going to be four runs and I was away

and I got 80 odd by lunch and that 100 certainly then got me on that tall in comes Asif your balls cook forward watchfully carefully and oh Asif's thrown him to his hundred. This is ridiculous. What a way to get to a hundred. This could never have happened before. And Alastair Cook reaches a hundred in the most absurd and bizarre circumstances. And Alastair Cook raises bad in some disbelief, but also huge relief. I wasn't in the best space. I wasn't flying. But I suppose I then went, I then had the

clarity of my mind saying, well, this is the technique, which is my best technique. It might not be the best technique in the world. It might not suit everyone. But I can't be any better than I can so my ceiling is with this technique and that clarity you know it was was a very nice moment to have and also then when you haven't scored runs when you find a bit of rhythm and find a bit of clarity in your mind you're you're so hungry to to make most of the oval rises to alister kutki back in form Well, this is the morning we've all been waiting for for months, the first day of this Ashes series. Good morning to you from Brisbane, where it's a cloudy, rather sultry morning with a full house of 40,000 people pouring into the Gabba, hoping to savour another unforgettable moment in the history of the ashes.

The Gabba is an intimidating ground to play. And also, because of this date is in your mind for quite a long time when the fixtures are out and the tours are out, and you get on the plane and as soon as an opening batsman there's a good chance that I could be facing the first ball in the ashes it's always around the 15th, 16th to November, around that kind of day. You've got that mark on and you're wanting to get yourself in a good space mentally and, obviously, technically for that moment. That's your peak, that's what you want to be good at, good for, from then and then for the next seven weeks.

His best bowl in these conditions. Here's the first ball, Hilfenhouse, from the far end, runs in and he bowls to a bowels to a Andrew Strauss who lets it go through outside the off stump. It's collected by Haddon. There's applause all around. There's a deep breath all round, I think. Ultimately, it's still just another game of cricket, another ball. You've just got to face.

But because of, you know, all these questions, all the interviews you do, leading up to the ashes, because everyone says, what a great series is part of. You've got those past players who've been in there and done it and saying, core, it's the best series to be part of, the tradition you know you're following in and the history. That can play on your mind. and you're certainly aware of it.

Very quickly after day one of the Nash's series that gets back to kind of normal cricket and you realise it's still just cricket. But it's an intimidating place to go and back. It's an intimidating place to go and play, but it's also where you want to go and perform because you know if you can perform there, you can kind of perform anyway.

Hilton House comes in, he bowls to him, it's short, and he's caught in the gully. Strauss is out, he's holding his head and his left hand. He walks off for Nort. England and Nort for one. A simple catch. He cut it straight to the gully.

It wasn't a great ball. But look at Australia. They gather together. And England's captain walks off. I didn't notice anything like I was in great form or anything like that. And then I got to Brisbane. Strousy out third ball. And I thought I got 60 odd.

Watson again from round the wicket. Bowles and Cook lean's back cuts. Beats Hussie. Down to the boundary. It goes at square third man. It'll beat the fifth. who's chasing it now. He watches Doody, and he pulls the short ball away for four.

He got in and under and walloped it out to the boundary. Dolly Bowes, that turns a little bit. Cook had drawn away to hit it off the back foot. He gets his 50, and well done, Aleister Cook. That's a great display of patience. I had a great opportunity on day one to go and get 100, which I always think it's a great marker for a player. Can you stand up in the biggest game on the first day?

And I missed out, and I was generally gutted, Obviously, the hat trick, the first ball of Peter Siddell, the hat trick. He comes to Cook, and Cook goes forward. He's edging it, he's caught it slip. Straight into the buckets of Watson. And that was a dry period of scoring that's led to the dismissal of Cook. Here Siddell.

He bowls to Pryor, Pryor. Hit on the pad. Go on, bold. Let's hit the off stump. It's gone straight through him. Sittle, steaming in. He bowls to Broad and broad. Oh, he's hit on the pad and appeal.

Broby, he's out. It's a hat trick. Siddell has a hat trick. To be had bowled out 260, it wasn't a 260 wicket. It was probably 350 to 400 wicket. Here's Swan for his first ball of the series. Round the wicket he bells and he's punched through midwicket. A bit too short from Swan and a decisive staccato stroke from Simon Kettich gets in four runs.

In comes Finn and Bowls pulled in the air and is it at Carl's another one and it's Cook under it and he's taken it and that is the end of the innings. has six wickets so the final total was 481 which means Australia have a lead of 221 there's a real like belief in the bowlers that when they walked off and after day three I know they scored a lot runs actually our methods work here we just weren't I don't think we got the rub of the green and that thing and if we bowl like that again we'll bowl worse and take lots of wickets I think that gave them a real like a bit of flipping in their confidence you know and then it was down to the batters obviously then when you leave you lose when you leave that ground at 517 for

one then you think well actually yeah we can score runs this attack and we came back from from the not the dead but 200 runs behind in the first innings you don't often get out of jail there so that was the big thing actually that suddenly the both sides as the kind of both sides batting and bowling were in in a good space. Off goes Siddell. He bowls, it's short and, well, Cook could get four. This is Watson bowling, so Johnson's off.

Pulled away for four with glee by Alistair Cooke, who's really opening his shoulders now. I remember sitting day one gutted that I hadn't made that impact. You know, the 60's good. I mean, you're going to take 60 every day of the week, but doesn't win your games of cricket. And I remember thinking, that one chance of really making a statement

at the start of the series, when it matters most. I'll keep going back, making a difference as a player in the biggest series. I hadn't done, you know, I'd done okay, but I suppose that kind of made me more determined to make in the second inning. I've spotted Michael. I've got a fleeting glimpse of them all. Cook on 99.

Siddles on his way, running in hard. He bows to him outside the off stump. He left back and cuts him for four. And Alastair Cook punches the air. What a fight back. What resilience. What an intriguing game this is becoming? A hundred ninety-nine and he sits around the corner of this

hesitation, there's a missfield and he gets the run and he's made 200 in a test match against Australia. That is a wonderful achievement from Alistair Coole. And getting coming back off I hadn't scored a run all winter, oh summer, sorry, our summer how hungry I was to do that

and then suddenly things clicked. And I don't know And that was the first time, I think it was my 14th Test 100, but it's the first time I went, I'd made a big difference to the side when it matters most. And again, that just gives you so much confidence as a play. And a bit of wandering around here. There's a shake of the hands from Ricky Ponting to Kevin Peterson.

And now to Andrew Strauss. Handshakes all around, what a test match. It comes to an end. It will be recorded one day in Wisdom. It's looking like a rather boring draw. But that has not been the tale of this test match at all. It's been like a roller coaster. from the first day until a third of the way through the last

and in between so much tension and drama as excitement and really befitting this test match that we've all looked forward to so much as a prelude really the first match of this Ashes series. To walk out of there with a draw when we were behind gave us as a side a huge amount of confidence and without a doubt it would have dented Australia's confidence because I'm so used to being one-nill up in an Aschus series.

To not be one-nill up, you know, when we went to Adelaide, you know, we were behind, obviously, in that Brisbane game and fought back in the second innings. You know, it gave us a huge belief that, yeah, actually, this is kind of untridden water in one sense for us as a side, because most sides have one-nill-down, they're even, and they're thinking, God, is this different? Is this the time?

I don't see it. You could see it then. The toss, a little reminder, Australia won it, and Ricky Ponting chose to bat first. Pretty easy one. I think most of them are pretty easy when you come to Adelaide. It's a beautiful day. The wicket looks good. There's a little bit of grass cover on it, as you can see. That tends to sort of burn off pretty quickly in Adelaide, especially with the sort of temperatures we've got today,

so we just need to start the game well. Anderson again, runs in, bowls, and Watson hit on the pad, a peal for a peal for wicket, the ball runs out to mid wicket. The shire at the stump hits, he's run out, run out for naught. And I can scarcely believe, but I think it's Jonathan Trott, who is not the most nimble of fielders. He's run out Kattich without facing. And Anderson moves in, and he bowls to Ricky Ponting, who's edging. And is he caught? He's out first ball.

Caught by Swan at second slip. What's going on? In he goes again, bowls to the right-handed. Clark is edge, and there he goes. Another one to Swan. Two for three. The pleasing thing about Adelaide was the most amazing start, I think, Jonathan Trott running out. Cattage didn't he run around with Alan Shearer

was to back up Brisbane Two men on the on side He bows wide and Cook goes for it And slices it away back with a point for four My cook 99 not out draws back Yes And has got another hundred His third and four test for England

He's second in succession here in Australia And this is turning out to be a wonderful toll for him Obviously Brisbane to get double under And then the next time to bat When you're in form You know you can got off and you get a low score so to actually back that up for me

to go double hundred hundred and two innings I was incredibly pleased about that Doge he comes in and Berth... There he goes! He goes dancing down the pitch and lofts him high Backing with KP then was easy he obviously missed down in Brisbane because he didn't get a chance in the second innings

and you know KB always wanted to wants to be the forefront of everything and that's his personality, that's his his character and fellow knew when he was walking out of the bat that he was going to make a statement. Doherty Bowles and Peterson comes down the pitch and lifts him back over his head for either four or six. Six up. He swings across it and he smashes it for four. Now what's going to happen here? Doherty, the left arm spinner and straight away Peterson smears him for four. So he's on 199. He's facing Xavier Doherty and he drives the ball and he gets a run and he gets to 200.

That is a wonderful milestone for Kevin Peterson. and he is full of joy. He's down there pumping and carrying on in front of the Barmi Army at the far end. A great partnership has a batting unit because we're so different. All the attention slides on to him.

He wants the attention. He thrives off it. He needs it. And he wants to take on the bowl as well. I'm quite happy to slip up underneath the radar, get him on strike and just build my innings that way. So that's probably why it works so well.

And it was a pleasure to watch that innings. You know, to have players who can make differences and I could score runs and would score runs over a long period of time he had the ability in three or four hours to kill games and change games and that's what he did then

the crowd wait in silence for the final wicket Swan comes in and bows to settle and he's played on or he's got straight through he is bold Swan has got his fifth wicket and England have won

the second test match at Adelaide and the first act of England's attempt to win the ashes is complete. A triumph of no small proportions. Coming out of Brisbane, playing like we did in Adelaide, winning by an innings. I think deep down we knew we were the better side. Perth has probably more sunshine than anywhere in Australia.

I mean, just has lovely dry weather. 30 degrees most of the time, 28th to 32, blue sky, so it's lovely. And this side Australia was there to take. And I think people had really gone. If we've win this game, we've retained the Ashton. Up come England then Andrew Strauss leading them out There's a cameraman there inevitably Pursuing them and a steward in an orange jacket

But they're going to get into a circle Out in the sunshine, maybe 25 yards onto the field Is the first ball of the match Three slips, gully point, mid-off and Anderson Running away from us moves in, bowls to Watson It moves away outside his off-stub He stretches a left leg towards a pitch of the ball And allows it to go through

I don't think it was a conscious thing I don't think it was like We said all the right things but I reckon deep down, subconsciously, I reckon we started looking at the winning post. Haddon on 37 and digging in waits as Finn moves in, balls shortly, guides that away before. He's played that really well. Around the wicket, here's Finn. Short ball, up a cut. And that's travelling down towards the backward point line for four.

A sure, safe shot and it brings up an excellent half century to Michael Hussey. They're back to that side in 2010-11. Hussie, Ponting, catchage, Watson, Johnson, Johnson. Haddon, Clark, if you're not on it, you're going to lose. Pierce Harris Burling, outside the off-stumbed, Strauss is out, caught behind. Johnson comes in towards him, Anderson goes back, he's caught and slipped by Watson, and the innings is over, all out for 187. There are some world-class generational players, so just a turn-up.

I think we just, we operated at 95% in terms of, until it was too late. Harrison again, he bowls to Finn, Finn, goes back, he edges, he's caught at third slip by Smith, The game is over And Australia have triumphed here By 267 runs Clow actually had a meeting that night Day after night And I said I remember being part of it

I think I think it's a wrong decision I thought it was wrong I thought let the dust lie And let's get unemotional about it But I think he wanted the emotion He wanted people to be emotional It wasn't a clear of the air It was just we're hitting this nail on the head now

Why did we play like that Ultimately he was right You know what I go back there and the transition from Perth to Melbourne you know suddenly this Australia is like going to go back and winning Ricky Ponting was all over the papers Christmas Christmas Eve and then obviously on

the next day I think he was back page front page again just I think I think actually the headline was loser which there's a bloke who wasn't a loser but what made me laugh was you know him on the family on Christmas Eve dog the next day you know anything they could find figure of Ricky Ponting there and then just

obviously 90 overs later Tremlitt on his way. Bowles, shorts and let's fend it away. He's going to be caught in the gully. Watson is out. It's the third opportunity that he's given. He goes Bresden, then Bowls and Hughes is caught in the gully. Tremlott comes in bowls. It's edged dead, he's caught. What a wonderful catch at second slip. And Ponting can barely drag himself away, but he's got to go. He's forward, and he's almost caught. He is out. He's nicked it. He's out. Anderson gets a huge wicked hussy.

Court prior. Edged and caught behind. Superb delivery from Jimmy Anderson and Steve Smith hangs his head in dismay. A good delivery and edged and caught. Clark is out and it's edged and it's caught. Strauss takes it at first slip and that's excellent bowling by President and not great batting by Haddon. Anderson with three slips and the gully the lights are on and they're not for Johnson he's Nick one. He's pushed down the line he's out.

It's Trembud again. Oh his edge is caught behind. There goes the ninth wicket. Siddle caught behind. He comes Tremblitt and Bowls. It doesn't need to do much. and that is the end of the innings and it was the ball just nipping away from Hilton House. The lowest score ever made by Australia on this ground against England

in a test match. Johnson, who runs in, bowls outside the Ostump and Cook cuts him for four. And he reaches another half century Anissa Cook in this remarkable series. In comes Smith and is driven to a deep set mid on Hilton House and that is Andrew Strauss's 50.

It's been a day of extraordinary domination by England And it was just the greatest day, I suppose, kind of can only be unrivaled with probably when we bowled out for 60 in 15 in terms of days of cricket. And also, because we'd lost at Perth and we won all in the series and Australia were back, they were going to roll through us then. And to respond, like we did with the ball, phenomenal. Jimmy, Tim Bresden and Chris Tremblitt were just outstanding.

And then Strausserner, to kind of not let that opportunity slip and be 150 for naught at the end of day, and the day one. That is as good as he gets, isn't it? I mean, we kind of killed the test match by day one. That just doesn't happen very often. So Johnson starts his work for the day, and he bowls to Trott, who takes him away through the onside.

Another good clip from the line of the stumps, and they should collect three here, as is chased out by Siddon. That is 150 for Jonathan Trott. Breznan studies the ball. It's still the old ball, not the new, and in goes Bresden, Bowles to Hilton House, and he's a court behind, he is out,

and England have won, and they've retained the ashes. Retained the ashes in Melbourne, but there's that determination to not let this slip. This is a once-in-lifetime opportunity, as it pans out for me, once-in-life-a-time opportunity to win away. I think it would have been a bit of a disservice or an injustice if we hadn't won that series three-one.

We were the better side, we were playing better cricket, but we had to finish the job. It's this one driven, glory. by Cook, four runs through the covers. Cook on 99, beer bowls to him. And he turns into the onside, and there it is. This time it's wide of midwicket. Cook punches the air at the far end.

His magnificent series continues. Smith goes into Bolton. Bell's back, forcing into the offside. He finds the gap. There it is. The ball's going out towards the boundary. It won't be four. Bell punches the air at the far end

and punches gloves with Pryor as well as he comes back for two. Bell's done it at last. A test match century against Austin. He's waited a long time. That's a triumph for him. He's come back a new player. He's reinvented himself and he gets a hug from Pryor. Bell 101 not out.

Beer goes into Bolton again. That's wide. Hit upishly through the offside. It's into the gap. It's out to the boundary. Pryor's celebrating already. His four runs. He's run to the non-strikers and he's heading off towards the Barmy army.

Salutes them first. Helfenhouse Bolter Tremlow. He's forward. Is he caught behind? Yes, he is. Up goes the finger from Alim Dar. And England. And finally, in the 178th over of their innings,

are all out for 644, which means Australia trail on first innings by 364. During the game, that Mitchell Johnson song when he walked out to hit that song, the ball, he bowls left, and then he gets first border. I remember I was in mid-off. And we were closing in. The atmosphere was incredible.

Johnson is out there, half-centry in the first innings. Tremlitt's really steaming in this spell just before the close. Chris Tremlund just said to me, I'm just going to bowl this as fast. I've got no idea where it's going. He obviously, he bought an absolute jaft in, full, swung in, nipped around. Tremlet goes in to bowl to Johnson. Oh, he's the LBGW. He's bowled him. He's bowled him.

And Tremlitt's on a hat trick. Johnson's on his way. And England could wrap this up tonight. And the noise they bar in the army made there. Obviously then serenaded Mitchell off as well. just changed a word bowling to batting was that was that moment really like that was you know that was proper I was their moment in comes Tremlitt beer waits for him he's there and he bowls and he's paid into his wicket it's all over he's bowled by Tremlet

and England have won their first series in Australia for 24 years so Andrew Strauss joins his teammates who gets a warm shake of the hand from Michael Vaughn who hands over the waterford crystal And there they go. And I'm being smothered by glittery stuff. That's just exploded into the air. It's like a blizzard here. You can't get over the feeling we had when we won it, Sydney.

When Chris Tremblay got that wicket, all the anxiety of the last seven weeks, which, you know, you feel, you don't feel it unless you're playing. Like, you sit here and as a commentator or whatever in the crowd, There's this, the rope, there's a barrier of no anxiety. You know, like, we're dominating games of cricket, and yet I still, you still, that may be just the way I was bred or the way I operated.

There's always that, well, they could get back in this game. We could be chasing 100, even though they're like 350 behind. You know, like the Sydney, they might get, they might get under 450 and we've got to chase 100. And you can't, I just could not help that. That's what kept me on the edge. So when that final wicket, all gone, sat on the outfield, drinking away, just talking as a group.

And that was the moment. I was like, that's a job well done. And I remember flying home from Australia. I didn't play in the one day series. Didn't have the World Cup to go to. Which is probably a blessing in this guy's in one sense. I got to really enjoy the fact that I sat on that plane. And we won the ashes and I scored as many runs as I did.

You don't often get ultimate satisfaction either. There's nothing more I could have done on that tour. which is about the only tour I've ever had that experience or a series where you couldn't have done anymore. So I did enjoy that 24 hours, just that pure and not a relax engine. The TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live. That was the latest episode of How to Win the Ashes, and you can watch the documentary in full now on the BBC Eye player.

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