Ed Cowan’s answer to Australia coach Mickey Arthur’s demand for preparing a presentation on how to improve team performance was not a 10-slide power-point outline, but a desire to “bat for as long as one could.”
After a string of low scores, Cowan today brought his flagging career back on track with a gritty 86-run knock on the second day of the third and penultimate cricket Test against India here.
“I told the coach that I wanted to bat for as long as possible, I gave him a number, but that is between him and me,” Cowan said when asked what were his views and thoughts.
“Though I have not completely succeeded, I think I did play play a part for the team’s cause,” the 30-year-old New South Wales opener said at the end of the day’s play.
Cowan was involved in a 139-run for the first wicket David Warner, helping Austraia to 109 for noss at lunch.
The opener believes that a little bit of luck helps in performing on the challenging spin-friendly wickets of India.
“You need a bit of luck to score runs in these conditions,” Cowan said when asked if the Indian fielders should be credited for his two reprieves.
Talking further, he stated, “The wicket was similar to the one in Hyderabad, there is no grass and there could be cracks and (there was) reverse swing.”
Considering that the opening day of the match has been lost due to rain, Cowan felt the Australians will have to put at least 350 on the board and then bowl well enough to restrict the Indians.
“If you bowl well enough, it is a tough wicket to score runs. Another 70-80 runs, I think 350 on board is a lot of runs, if we bowl well enough, doesn’t matter otherwise.”
Australia were 273 for seven at stumps, with Steven Smith and Mitchell Starc at the crease.
“You just have to be on the game in such challenging conditions.”
Despite getting starts in the last two Tests, Cowan somehow could not convert them into substantial knocks, often getting out to poor shot selection.
“Coming here, I needed to put pressure on the spinners by attacking them, fighting and bat for as long as one can, soaking up a lot of balls with so many strokemakers around.”
The learned and mature man that he is, Cowan was asked if he would have enough material from today’s knock to write his next book, he smiled and said,”Not enough (material) for one whole book, but yes for a chapter or two.”
Asked how skipper Michael Clarke felt after getting out for a golden duck, Cowan said,”You have to ask Michael about that. But he has played so beautifully against left-arm spinners, it’s a rare mistake by him as he loves coming down the wicket.”
