Southampton: When the Australians gathered in Brisbane last November before the 2013-14 Ashes series, one of the main messages coach Darren Lehmann sent to his fast bowlers was on the lines of, "I don't mind if Cook gets an hundred by playing 15 cover drives, but I will be disgusted if he cuts and pulls his way into form."


Alastair Cook 

The Australian bowlers responded splendidly, as did the Sri Lankan bowlers four months later. Even the inexperienced Indians bowlers stuck to this strategy.