Former English Test and ODI skipper Alastair Cook is running in the worst batting form in his Test career. Former English cricketer Michael Atherton has pointed out two big issues that Cook is facing in present time.

In this calendar year (2018), Cook has scored only 252 runs in 13 Test innings with the average of just 19.38. He has scored only one 50+ score in this year and that was 70 against Pakistan at Lord’s in May.

In the ongoing home Test series against India, Cook has scored only 63 runs in 5 innings with the average of just 15.75. In the ongoing Test series, the left-handed opening batsman hasn’t crossed the 30-run mark yet as his best knock was 29 in the ongoing third Test at Trent Bridge (Nottingham).

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Cook has scored his last Test century at Melbourne in the last ‘Boxing Day’ Test match against Australia in the 2017/18 Ashes series, where he scored 244 runs.  The long-time English Test opening batsman is running in the worst batting form, who has scored 12,208 runs in 286 Test innings (159 Test matches) with the average of 45.21.

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Talking about his present batting form, Atherton has pointed out two big issues – one is failed to get a regular opening partner after the retirement of Andrew Strauss and the second one is his own issue.

Atherton told on Sky Sports, “There is an issue. It’s a two-fold issue: one is that since the retirement of Andrew Strauss, England haven’t found a partner for Alastair Cook who has been successful and nailed down that place. They have gone through 11 or 12 players now. The other issue is Cook himself, who is not old in terms of years, but is quite old in terms of the games he has played.

“At the top of the order, facing the best bowlers in the world, I know what it is like and it will get to you in the end. Cook is very inconsistent at the moment, feast or famine.”