Opinion England’s captaincy dilemma
But if not Cook then who else. Among seniors, Trott is unlikely to return. Swann is certain not to return.
Yes, England had let slip catches more straightforward than this earlier in the day and even during the Ashes. But the man positioning himself under a miscued hoick from David Warner was Ben Stokes. Probably the only member of the English camp who will not recall the last couple of months as a dreadful nightmare.
Alastair Cook should have felt confident that his young allrounder won’t mess it up.You wouldn’t have thought so, however, as the camera panned in towards him revealing the anxious look on the England captain’s face.
Stokes did hang on to the catch. The expression on Cook’s face, though, was revealing. This was a captain who now believed that whatever had to gone wrong would go wrong. One who had begun believing in his team’s fatality. One who had lost faith in his team, possibly even himself.
If Cook’s Ashes campaign was a disaster, the first ODI loss exposed how merciless a beating England’s self belief had taken, starting with their leader. The team management might have jumped to their skipper’s support, dashing any fears of a change at the top in terms of Tests. But with the 50-over World Cup just over a year away, England need to take a hard look at the ODI captaincy — even if Cook’s winning percentage is better than his predecessors’, 29 wins in 50 matches — especially when you consider the opener’s failure to impose himself in the format.
But if not Cook then who else. Among the seniors, Jonathan Trott is unlikely to return. Graeme Swann is certain not to return. While he hasn’t been part of England’s ODI plans for a while now, Matt Prior now will have to fight to regain his Test place. Ian Bell has spent a majority of his career fighting battles with self doubt. He is unlikely to be the guy to lead a team that needs inspiration.
The one name that stands out is Kevin Pietersen. It’s high time England took a call on the elephant in the room. He might not get along with half the dressing room and in his previous stint he came out as a divisive character. KP has also emerged as a scapegoat for the Ashes debacle despite having topped the runs’ tally. But England have as good a chance with a larger-than-life figure like KP turning around things for them as they do with Cook regaining his mojo. With English cricket at a new ebb, taking a leap of faith with their enfant terrible could be the best way out.
(Bharat is a principal correspondent based in Mumbai)
bharat.sundaresan@expressindia.com
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