Just as the storm clouds dispersed, and Alastair Cook had his first bit of good news for months, that awkward sod called fate poked him in the eye again.
England finally won an ODI yesterday – more about that later – but Cook has since been banned for one match because England’s over rate was slower than frozen molasses. They’ve also fined him 20% of his match fee.
I doubt Chef will care too much about the dosh. England play so many games these days that match fees are neither here nor there. The bigger issues are (a) who will open in Cook’s place, and (b) who will captain the side in his absence?
Cook’s supporters have always argued that despite his limitations as a captain, there is no alternative waiting in the wings. When England play their next ODI, there simply has to be an alternative. The team can’t take the field without a captain. Well, they could, but they’d look bloody stupid.
Say England choose Eoin Morgan or Joe Root as skipper. What if they look comfortable in the role, make some inspired decisions, read the game well, look authoritative, and coax a sublime performance from the troops? Suddenly there will be a very real long-term alternative.
Furthermore, what will happen if Moeen opens with Alex Hales and the two of them spank Sri Lanka’s attack to all parts. They might even look like a natural, attacking opening pair. Where would that leave Chef? Cooked?
Things just don’t seem to be going Cook’s way at the moment. He actually batted quite well yesterday, and it took a good ball to get him out.
As he was suffering with a back injury, Alastair seemed to be stiller at the crease; he also seemed to be watching the ball more carefully. He even hit a couple of peachy drives down the ground – a sure sign he might be finding some elusive form.
Most importantly, England actually won the game. A rare feat these days. There were stellar performances from the Mighty Mo, who is looking more like the second coming of Saeed Anwar every day, Joe Root and Jos Buttler.
The partnership between Joe and Jos was key. England were 152-5 when they joined forces. Considering our recent record, a capitulation seemed inevitable. However, both played themselves in and then launched a superb late assault.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that this England team does actually have some talent. It’s just a shame about the bowling. Hopefully things will improve when Broad and Jimmy get themselves fit.
As for Cook, what on earth will he be thinking when England take the field in the 4th ODI? He’ll probably be praying for rain.
James Morgan
According to Cricinfo, Eoin Morgan will lead the side.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/sri-lanka-v-england-2014-15/content/current/story/807251.html
Let us hope he has a brilliant game. :-)
There are murmurings that Cook’s tenure may be coming to an end, even before the World Cup. The question is, who would replace him? I think there are two obvious contenders. Morgan is the first and if Cricinfo is to be believed has already been given the armband for Colombo. The problem with Morgan is what if his form continues to suffer? Taking the captaincy from one under-performing batsman and giving it to another might be a step too far even for the ECB.
The 2nd alternative for me is Broad. He has captaincy experience with the T20 side. He’s ‘Inside cricket’ in that he’s in the dressing room and presumably part of the new team environment. So he’s no left-field candidate.
Root is a dark horse candidate I suppose. I suspect he’s been ear-marked for the job but may need some more experience and to properly bed himself into the team. Maybe a year or two as VC under Broad will give him that time.
My team for the world cup currently looks like this
1) Hales
2) Ali
3) Taylor (I’d prefer Balance but it’s unlikely)
4) Root
5) Bopara
6) Stokes
7) Buttler
8) Woakes
9) Tredwell
10) Broad
11) Finn
Batting firepower right down to number 10.
8 bowling options
3 fast bowlers
2 slower seam bowlers
3 spin bowling options
Anderson 12th man though I wouldn’t want to be the one to tell him.
I doubt Taylor will even get a game. He is too much threat to Cook, knowing how to captain a side and all. Expect Bell back for the next one. He’ll knowing Moores and Cook, Bell may even open the batting. Lessens the threat. Personally I think Taylor should captain, but we all know that can never happen.
A few random thoughts:
1) Cook blamed the slow over rate on the size of the outfield (which is larger than the MCG – but it was sort of obvious) and the opposition batsmen (!). England dawdled between overs (they never once ran or even jogged into position that I saw) and were fully 20 minutes overtime for only 35 overs.
2) The pitch was hard. fast and true and was good for batting. There was a little help for the seamers and none for the spinners. Although they misread the pitch yesterday it must be good for the long term of SL cricket that they have some pitches like this – India could certainly use more like it.
3) Well as Moeen batted yesterday he scored most of his runs against Mathews, Dilshan, Perera and a brace of Mendises. When Prasad came on (too late) and bowled some short stuff he looked very uncomfortable. Some concerns here for the WC in Australia against better attacks.
4) Root as captain? Amongst other concerns, in a recent interview he put his poor form in Australia down to becoming “too internal” and not being ready for crowds of 80 000 hostile Aussies. Do these sound like qualities you’d find in someone ready for the captaincy?
Paul Whitehouse began his professional showbiz career, and earned his equity card, when he played the part of The Slitherer in Vic Reeves’s pre-television stage show.
If Vic and Bob ever wanted to cast someone as The Ditherer, Cook would be the automatic choice.
It was The Ponderers, wasn’t it?
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=the+ponderers+ink+cake&rlz=1T4GUEA_enGB581GB582&biw=1366&bih=589&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ei=vYeBVPvbMrGd7gbTh4DwCg&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#tbm=isch&q=the+ponderers+vic+and+bob&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=vIf86KhuN1zeXM%253A%3BJ7k56K4aiuA7qM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fi1133.photobucket.com%252Falbums%252Fm600%252FGrant9477%252Fponderers.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.therpf.com%252Fshowthread.php%253Ft%253D161602%3B1024%3B768
I’ll be astonished if Cook is pushed before the World Cup. I think it needs to happen but I just don’t think the powers that be are prepared to lose that much face. Conversely, if England do poorly at the World Cup and In the Caribbean, I think there’s a decent chance Cook could be replaced before the Ashes. The prospect of a poor World Cup won’t be enough to force their hand but the prospect of another Ashes hiding under a compromised captain might be.
For what it’s worth, Broad would be my choice in both formats. He’s got a bit of mongrel in him, I think he’d encourage an attacking brand of cricket and the responsibility might just be the making of him. Hopefully he’d knuckle down and make more of his batting too.
But – assuming Cook plays at the World Cup – my side would be:-
Hales, Moeen, Cook, Root, Morgan, Bopara, Buttler, Broad, Plunkett, Anderson, Finn.
I’ve said all along that if Cook has to play he’s better at 3 – so we can have 2 dashers for the first powerplay and he can bat through in the way Ballance does. Of course Ballance at 3 is a much better option! Otherwise my side bats down to 9, has 4 out and out wicket takers who suit conditions and a combination of 3 5th bowler options.
Finn’s still not right though – and that’s a huge worry.
For once, we agree, Kev! I also would go for Broad in all three formats. He has that mongrel, as you say, and what appears to be a good cricket brain – allied with natural authority and genuine experience. Admittedly, it’s not ideal for a bowler to captain in test cricket, but it’s far from impossible.
Haha – it’s an occasion for celebration, Maxie :-)
Always been a huge Broad fan. Became more so when he handled the appalling Courier Mail situation in Brisbane with humour and class, and continued that through the whole sad debacle of the whitewash. There’s a real mental strength there.
The flip side is that his T20 captaincy wasn’t inspiring, by all accounts, and his injury history is a worry. He’d be a gamble – but one that might be worth it.
I think the same. Broad is probably the best bet in the short term at least. However, reading the comment by Moores that this suspension clears Cook for the World Cup I can’t see anything changing. Why make that comment otherwise?
I like your World Cup team but I would not have Morgan unless his run of poor form ends. Who we should select to replace him should become clearer in time. There is still a lot in the balance in terms of talent and suitability for the conditions.
Moeen Ali is performing superbly but I wouldn’t get too carried away until he plays on quicker wickets and against a different attack. I hope very much that he continues in similar fashion. The weight of expectation is becoming huge.
I’m still missing Gary Ballance. His omission is a mistake imho.
Maxie! While preferable to Alastair Cook, please don’t forget that Stuart Broad bullies his fielders and wastes DRS reviews. He is also inclined to throw a tantrum or two.
Oh, I don’t think he really does that with DRS so much nowadays. In fairness, as the number 9, if there’s a review left it usually makes sense for him to take a punt on it.
Aggro to the fielders – I know what you mean.
There are a number of possibilities that could play out following Cook’s suspension:
1. Hales fails as opener in 4th ODI – Hales is dropped and Cook returns as opener;
2. Hales scores big but Morgan fails – Morgan is dropped and Cook returns as opener;
3. Hales and Morgan both score big – Bell stays dropped and Cook returns as opener;
4. Cook breaks his leg kicking a dressing-room locker – Stokes is dropped and Cook returns as opener, with a runner;
5. Cook is kidnapped by Tamils – ECB pick 10 and ask the abductors to let Cook phone in his score;
6. Cook resigns – Cook returns as opener, escorted to the wicket by Giles Clarke and Paul Downton.
As Henry Ford might have said, the team can have any captain it wants as long as it is Cook.
Very good, Tregaskis! ( and sadly accurate)
Its very sad really that the talent we have is often overlooked because of poor coaching and tactics. English cricket is very insular, always believing our own infrastructure is good enough to sustain high quality cricket that can challenge the rest of the world. IMO it’s no coincidence that those characters exposed to the biggest tournaments like IPL show greater aptitude for short form cricket.
“IMO it’s no coincidence that those characters exposed to the biggest tournaments like IPL show greater aptitude for short form cricket”.
When we won our only one-day tournament five of the squad had played in the preceding IPL.
James Morgan………”What if they look comfortable in the role, make some inspired decisions, read the game well, look authoritative, and coax a sublime performance from the troops? ”
You mean like the 20/20 game with India at Birmingham at the end of the summer? When Morgan lead the team and they looked vibrant and enthusiastic, and won? The powers that be soon put a stop to that. Cook came straight back to lead the ODIs. The same will happen here.
The TINA argument and those who peddle it will now be exposed as fake. Because if you really, really believe it then England have to take to the field with no captain. A little speaker will have to to wheeled out to the middle for the toss. And when the coin is thrown in the air Peter Moores voice will be heard to shout “heads.” The speaker will then be wheeled into position at first slip where instructions will be barked out.
It’s not going to happen of course. But then TINA is, and always was cobblers.
Excellent, Mark!
Meanwhile, how such a instinctive and decisive captain as Cook failed to bowl his overs in time is beyond me.
Mark,
I think there are 2 separate captaincy arguments. The first – the one day side – is cut and dried. Cook doesn’t make most people’s best XI. He doesn’t even make my second XI in truth. He doesn’t have the game for One Day cricket, and even at his best in that format there are better options. There are also more players who have captained one day sides to take over the job – and one day captaincy is also more straightforward. So the TINA argument (leaving aside your facetiously literal interpretation of it) makes no sense to anyone except Moores and Downton. Cook should have been gone from the one day side a while ago, and his successor (Broad, in my view) should already be well established.
But the test captaincy is a more complex argument. Clearly Cook, at his best, gets in the side. And like it or not, there aren’t many others who’ve captained long form cricket in the side. So the element of risk in a new captain is much greater. You want to make Bell captain for the Ashes? Broad? As a Test captain debutante with limited experience? It’s doable, of course, but it’s a hell of an ask.
Of course there comes a point, if Cook’s bad run continues, where he’s clearly not worth his place in the side and then the TINA argument becomes moot. Or it should. You take your chances with a new captain, because you can’t beat Australia (or New Zealand for that matter) with 10 players.
We’ve all got our opinions on whether Cook can ever get back to his best. If he can’t make a score in the Caribbean, on flat decks and pace on the ball, then that’s the end of the line for me. If we lose that series, combined with the expected poor World Cup, I think Cook’s position will be untenable unless he’s scored big runs. I might be being generous, but I’d say the odds of a pre-Ashes captaincy change are about 50/50.
Kev, I understand the Test TINA argument. (I don’t agree with it, but I understand it)
But the ODI TINA argument is ludicrous. And no one defends it. Even Cook’s supporters like Swann, Selvey, Agnew, the entire Sky commentators box (except Strauss) have said he should not be in the team, let alone captain. So why do the ECB persist with it?
My suspicion is the England captaincy has become more than just the best person to lead the team onto the field. Other issues intrude into the process. ECB politics, sponsors image, the possibility that the coach wants a yes man, blah blah blah. This makes me very wary of thinking they are picking the captain for cricket reasons.
And if that is true, I don’t trust them to pick the captain for cricket reasons for the Test Team. As yesterday proved we have some young talented players. Just a shame they are going to be given poor leadership. Unfortunately, it’s deeply ingrained into the ECB DNA.
“My suspicion is the England captaincy has become more than just the best person to lead the team onto the field. ”
This is a big part of it for me. From the ECB’s point of view, the England team is first and foremost not a cricket team, but a ‘brand’. Cook fits their ‘brand identity’, so he’ll remain the captain.
I’m just praying that Eoin Morgan has an inspirational game, freed from the shackles of Cook’s captaincy! As I have opined before, Morgan has got more cricketing “nous”, and leadership, in his left bollock than Cook has in the whole of his body. He is more than capable of outsmarting Angelo Mathews, I believe!
It’s true, I’m basing this on his stellar performance in the T20 against India, and thus pray to the Gods of Cricket that they smile on him!!
They say they are in Sri Lanka to find out what’s what, who’s who etc, so now’s the time to look at Taylor, is it not? How hard can it be?
Great time for Cook to be banned. The team has jut won. Morgan is out of form, and his place his under threat. Added to that Jayawarde comes back into the Sri Lanka side. If England lose Cook gets no blame. It’s ideal.
By the way, Moores has said they knew Cook was getting close to a ban, and they are pleased to get it out of the way before the World Cup. Which confirms that Cook is not going to be dropped. Even if England lose 4-1.
What was it Napoleon said? ….. “give me a lucky general over a good one.”
Do you remember when David Beckham got banned, and immediately said he was pleased (and hinted he’d got booked deliberately) because it got his likely suspension out of the way before a bigger match? He was absolutely crucified for doing so. Peter Moores obviously lives in a different world.
I wondered if anyone would pick up on that James. In the light of Moores comments, it has to be questioned whether they deliberately had a slow over rate to get the ban out of the way.
If true, it doesn’t say much for the spirit of cricket they are always banging on about. Deeply cynical, from a laptop coach.
I will wait in anticipation for Newman’s condemnation of this in the Mail. Seeing as he was so worked up about the spirit of cricket when Sri Lanka were here in the summer.
They always do dawdle around the field. This is nothing new. Maybe it was not pre planned. Who knows? In the light of KP’s tweet Moores might have simply taken the opportunity to affirm that Cook was staying long term. Just in case we had any doubt. :)
Only the England cricket management try to take the positives out of the captain being banned.
Always good to hear from you James. I expect Morgan to captain the next game. Being the vice captain they would either have to drop him or appoint him. I can’t see them doing anything too radical in the absence of Cook. Not their style.
I would not be surprised if they brought back Bell to open but I hope they give the Ali/Hales partnership another chance, this time at one and two. Whatever happens it should be an interesting game, weather permitting. I would like to see Taylor given a chance. It’s about time.
Given the way that Cook procrastinates and his team’s general lack of urgency in the fielod and the plethora of mid-over conversations that are required, there is every chance that England will miss the target in the rest of the series, which will lead to more fines and bans. I wonder if they have a spreadsheet that tells them how many conferences are required per over.
Now that it is confirmed that Cook is not playing in the next game will he do the decent thing and stay away from the team for the build up and duration of the game to let the vice captain run the “show” or will he hang around in the background like a bad smell????
I am going to be as positive as I can about this. So I’m interpreting this as an opportunity for the ECB to get Cook out of the ODI team without losing face.
What they need is for England sans Cook to put on a good performance and win. They can then tell Golden Boy that they want him to concentrate on his Test game and sit out the World Cup – “the Ashes are more important, Cooky.”
Of course, I doubt it will happen because nobody at the ECB seems to have any ability to imagine a world without the Chef. But we can live in hope…at least I can, until I run out of beer.
it starts to get into conspiracy theory but maybe Angelo Mathews was trying to keep Cook in. How many deliveries diod it take for Prasad to snare him? However it is becoming a pattern that Moeen has a limited concentration span in that sort of heat and humidity. He was clearly losing it at the back end of his innings yesterday and also in his earlier century. If he had not got himself run out,, I think he would have perished very soon.
Cook won’t be dropped but I think he will be out with injury, thus ensuring that he won’t be blamed. The only fly in the ointment will be if they win the rest of the matches, Cook can’t take credit for that. Whatever happens he will be protected at all costs. The rest of the players can sink or swim as long as Cooks reputation is intact, thus proving they were right all along. Only they weren’t!!!!!!
I think you’re right Vanessa. The “strategic injury” card was always there to be played. I felt it was no coincidence that he was rubbing his back the other day! Deeply cynical I know, but I wouldn’t put it past them. They’d win the Ashes in PR managed weaselry if there was one!
I have a bad feeling that we will lose and Morgan will have a poor innings again, leading to him being dropped. Captain Ironrod will be back at the helm before we know it…….
Just started to read this headline in the Telegraph and thought yippie …. ECB executive board mutiny pushes president Draghi towards exit …. then realised it was the wrong ECB … pity it’s not Dowtown!!!!!!!!!!!
“No frills, no bullshit”….We really hear what you’re saying Eion lad!!
Ha ha ha, I bet there will be a dossier leaked to the press anytime soon.
“Morgan sang Danny Boy 15 times in the shower. This goes against ECB regulations.”…………..”
“Morgan referred to a fellow player as a fecking idjit. Again against ECB regulations.”
” Morgan did not wear his Waitrose paper hat with the required deference”
“Morgan made remarks that could be interpreted as disrespectful to the greatest captain England have ever had.”
You just know they are compiling it.
Quite right about being disrespectful to the greatest ever… ! look forward to your responses. Making me laugh. :-)
“Alastair “Iron Rod” Cook will be our Captain in the WC! We care not a jot that he’s no bloody good at one day cricket, or even worse at captaining. He’s our man,the right chap, we need his steely core to win for us! End of debate, end of story, so pipe down!”
Signed
The ECB
As light relief, I present this gem from Scyld Berry…
“If Hales gets firing too, yes, it will be very dangerous for Cook – except that he would not see it that way, such is the quality of the man. If he saw two England ODI openers better than him, he would do what it is best for the team, and walk away….”
Yeahrightsure.
Cook won’t even be bringing the drinks on for his teammates whilst being banned – he’s too good for that!!
Yea right!
He’ll walk away at the end of the World Cup. When England have wasted yet another ODI cycle, and just before the ECB have to get rid of him.
Then the spineless, boot licking media will all nod, and stroke their long pointed chins and say…….”what a man of integrity, what a hero, what a decent chap.”
It must be very easy to flog second hand cars to Scyld Berry because he is a poor judge of character. People of character don’t keep telling everyone they have thought about resigning. And they would of resigned if their wives hadn’t talked them out of it.
“If he saw two England ODI openers better than him, he would do what it is best for the team, and walk away….”
He’s seen a whole series of ODI openers who are better than him, and mysteriously most of them have been dropped from the England side.
“such is the quality of the man”
Oh please.
I often wonder how people like Michael Vaughan and Nasser Hussain feel when they read this tosh. Highly successful captains who helped to build winning sides, but – amazing to relate – they just used to get written about as if they were normal human beings.
The moment I fell hopelessly in love with the England cricket team of the 2000s was when Nasser Hussain ran out Strauss at Lord’s, went on to an undefeated hundred and then retired from Tests because he knew the injured Vaughan would come back, and someone had to make way for Strauss, who had made a hundred and an eighty on debut.
THAT was selflessness. THAT illustrated the quality of the man. I don’t believe Cook is remotely capable of such a gesture, sorry. And I’m sick and tired of being TOLD how wonderful he is, as if we poor saps can’t make up our own tiny minds about his character.
Beyond a joke, this, it really is. In ten years time, of the four captains I’ve mentioned, I know damn well who I’ll rank fourth in terms of his contribution to English cricket, even if he’s scored 12,000 Test runs by then.
There’s something horribly and creepily false about it all, which is peculiar to this regime. I think Vaughan could be manipulative (described by one ex-team-mate as ‘a brilliant liar’ if I recall) but he wasn’t fooling himself. Nasser just seems totally genuine, always.
And all the recent captains apart from Cook (but including Flintoff and KP) pass the burning building test – you know they wouldn’t panic and they’d do something useful.
But if you were trapped in a burning building with Cook, first of all he’d refuse to believe there actually was a fire even if it was right in front of him, and secondly he’d be surrounded by sycophants who’d assure you that he could put the flames out with a flutter of his eyelashes.
Yep, agree fully.
The BBC commentary team this morning spoke of Andy Flower overseeing the training yesterday …. some set ‘scenario’ plays …. how come he’s definitely involved with the England team still?????
The heart sinks.