Opinion Now Cook needs his Fletcher
A little conversation with Sourav Ganguly and John Wright might help.
England’s humiliation at the hands of Australia has eventually forced Andy Flower, one of the team’s most successful coaches and team director, to put in his papers after five years in the job.
England always thrived on the right combination at the top. Flower’s decision to step down means Cook has an opportunity to rebuild this side. But he will also need a coach with whom he can forge a strong partership, like other successful England skippers.
It started with Duncan Fletcher and Nasser Hussain, which was the first phase of rebuilding after England had slumped to the foot of the ICC Test rankings in 1999. Hussain worked his tactical magic on the field, while Fletcher, technically sound, along with the skipper identified players with the potential to take the team forward. England’s rise was confirmed with four Test series wins in a row and the No.3 spot in the Test rankings. Hussain captained 45 Tests and won 17.
The Fletcher-Vaughan partnership did even better — 26 wins in 51 Tests — with the 2005 Ashes victory being the high point. Then came a fallow period when Kevin Pietersen and Peter Moores failed to work up the right chemistry, but Andrew Strauss and Flower resurrected the performance and took England on top of the Test ranking charts.
Strauss won 24 out of the 50 Tests he led. Cook, still in the early stages of his captaincy career, must have the right mentor to guide him. So whoever becomes the new coach, his job will be to work in harmony as the team awaits regeneration.
Gary Kirsten, with his proven record and man management skills, has emerged as media favourite to replace Flower. Ashley Giles, already in charge of the limited-overs squads, and Paul Collingwood, too, are in contention. England’s next few assignments include a home Test series against India and the 50-over World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, and the primary task for the new pair would be to find the next Pietersens, Bells and Andersons.
A little conversation with Sourav Ganguly and John Wright might help.
Shamik is a principal correspondent based in Kolkata
shamik.chakraborty@expressindia.com
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