England coach Bayliss backs Cook firmly despite recent struggles

Tags: India tour of England 2018, England, India, Alastair Nathan Cook

Published on: Aug 25, 2018

England coach Trevor Bayliss has given his full backing to former skipper Alastair Cook despite him struggling in the ongoing Test series against India. The southpaw is yet to cross 50 in the three Tests played so far.

England coach Trevor Bayliss has given his full backing to former skipper Alastair Cook despite him struggling in the ongoing Test series against India. The southpaw is yet to cross 50 in the three Tests played so far.

“You wouldn’t know there was any difference between now and when he is scoring plenty of runs. He still practises as hard if not harder than anyone else. You watch him play in the nets and he is actually striking the ball quite nicely.

His feet move well. I wouldn’t say he is out of form – he is still hitting the ball well – he is out of runs in the middle. But he is giving himself every opportunity. He practises hard and he still plays an active role in his position in the team,” Bayliss was quoted as saying in a PTI report.

Not only Cook, but even the other opener Keaton Jennings is a massive worry as he hasn’t crossed fifty in 14 innings. “When he was with the Lions in Australia last year, it was about trying to get a little more flow to his batting. He is a very upright player so he is probably never going to be one of those guys who gets well down over the front knee and sniffs the ball.

It was about a little more rhythm. He’s been working on his back lift to get a little more rhythm and flow. It’s no easy task batting against these guys in these conditions which have been difficult. But that’s the job of an opening bat,” Bayliss went on to explain.

--By A Cricket Correspondent

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