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The bowlers of the England National Cricket Team are at the top of their game against the Pakistan National Cricket Team in the ongoing Test series, but their batters are arguably not at their best, as former England captain Alastair Cook believes.
On Day 3 of the ongoing England vs Pakistan Test match in Birmingham, Cook points out the lack of centurions in recent times for the England cricket team in Tests.
Alastair Cook expresses concerns over the England batters
Alastair Cook's concerns over the English batters sounded valid as Ben Duckett’s 113 against New Zealand has been England’s only Test hundred this summer. Since then, there has been no batter who has scored at least one century in Tests for the Three Lions.
England has been dominating throughout the Test series against the Babar Azam-led Pakistan cricket team. Ahead of the series, former cricketer Stuart Broad predicted a whitewash against the touring side. As of now, the Three Lions are expected to prove Broad's prediction right, as they are already leading the series by 2-0 and are in the position to claim the remaining match as well.
Alastair Cook explains the crisis of hundreds in England Test team
While the bowlers, especially the fast bowlers, have delivered well against Pakistan, the form for the batters has been forcing Cook to think differently. Speaking on BBC Sport, the former skipper said that the majority of the batters are facing difficulties securing big scores on an individual basis.
"I think it's a whole thing in the team at the minute, the lack of hundreds and whether that's down to the conditions they're facing and the fact that the ball is staying hard throughout the 80 overs, the majority of the time."
"I think there's just a little thing in that dressing room when you get into the 50s because it's like a habit for all of them. So it gets broken by two people scoring hundreds and everyone relaxes, but the minute someone does it, it is a concern," Alastair Cook expressed.
Dan Lawrence looked frustrated as he was dismissed after scoring a half-century
In the first innings of the ongoing Test match, Emilio Gay, Harry Brook, Dan Lawrence, Jamie Smith, and Ollie Robinson all got their half-centuries, but were not able to convert the momentum into a hundred. Cook also made it clear that a hundred could secure a place in the team for the next assignment.
"You saw the frustration for him (Dan Lawrence), a big shout of no when he got out because he just knew there's an opportunity. So if you've got hundreds, you know you're on the plane. I still think he will be, but if you guarantee hundreds, you guarantee selection."
"I just think a lot of those players are just people like (Jordan) Cox and him who are on the verge of cementing their place. You only really cement it with big, big hundreds. So he'll go to bed tonight," the former opener added.
Sir Alastair Cook says that England's lack of centuries is a "concern" 💯❌ pic.twitter.com/794pvN0DJp
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) September 10, 2026
