Series Won: Appraisal of Captain Cook

I started this summer questioning whether Alastair Cook was the right man to take over the captaincy of England’s One Day side.
 
So, after the conclusion of his first full series in the job, I thought it was only fair that I re-evaluate my decision, to confirm whether I was right to doubt him so?
 
Cook and his England side emerged from Saturdays 5th and deciding One Day International with Sri Lanka victorious, taking the series 3-2. Does this victory put to bed those doubts over Cook’s suitability as captain then, and are we any closer to settling on a winning formula in the One Day format? Or did England win due to some inconsistent Sri Lanka displays? Is the jury still out on Cook as captain?
 
Firstly it is only fair to say that Cooks own form with the bat was particularly good in this series. He ended up being the leading run scorer, with 298 runs scored at the quickest rate, 74.5 runs per match. He was also one of only three players to score a hundred, and was voted Man of the Series too. It would appear then that Cook is actually a very good opening batsman in One Day Cricket - contrary to popular belief!
 
In some respects it is difficult to judge just how effective Cook was at skippering the side here, due to the fact the first four games of the series were all so one sided. England won with ease the first and forth games as a result of some poor Sri Lankan batting, the latter a crushing ten wicket victory.
 
But England displayed batting frailties of their own, a common feature of their One Day performances in recent years, and this is something which Cook and Flower will have work on if England are to challenge the top teams in this format. There are still concerns with the batting lineup; Pietersen is well short of form and Bell does not look comfortable down the order. Some changes are required before England have a settled top six and can compete with the best sides around.
 
Cook did show strength of character, both in terms of his batting, refusing to buckle under the pressure when critics were claiming he was the wrong man for the job, and also in the selections he and coach Andy Flower made during this series.
 
Firstly they recalled Craig Kieswetter, which turned out to be a master stroke. He and Cook quickly established a strong partnership and in the forth game of the series smashed all sorts the records to reach 171-0 and win the game for England on their own. Kieswetter seems a more mature opening batsman now, allowing Cook to lead when on a roll, and the early signs of their partnership were very encouraging – a partnership England have struggled to fill over recent years.
 
Then there was the inclusion of Jade Dernbach. Dernbach has been in and around the squad for some time now, but he gave the attack a new dimension, he's tenacious and bowls quickly and with good variation: his slower ball is devilishly hard to spot or play.
 
Not only was he included from the start of the series, but he was retained when Cook wanted to play two spinners, showing that Cook had total faith in the player.
 
It also showed that Cook wasn't afraid to make and stand by big decisions. The inclusion of Patel, the second spinner, for the deciding match of the series resulted in established team mate and T20 captain Stuart Broad being dropped instead of the inexperienced Dernbach. The fact England won the match after such a big call vindicated Cooks decision completely.
 
It was also good to see that Cook wasn't afraid to take the batting power play early at times, another aspect of One Day Cricket England are have been overly cautious with in the past, and whilst he was quiet in the field, he seems to have all the players on his side, which is key.
 
I wondered if Cook was the right man for captain, but looking at the batting line-up, only Trott appears to be cemented in his place, all the others are either new in the side, out of form, or out of position in the line-up, and you couldn't make someone captain with any of those issues hanging around them. I mentioned Anderson in a previous blog as a potential captain, and he is probably the only bowler in contention given that Broad was dropped and Swann is getting on a bit, but it would be difficult to see him take the role on ahead of Cook. Sometimes the face just fits, and Cook has been next in line for some time now.
 
As it turns out though, he's started off rather well. He's scored the most runs at the quickest rate in this Sri Lanka series, whilst leading his side to victory over the same side that beat England by 10 wickets in this years’ World Cup. It's a great start!
 
Experience will only be gained out in the middle, if Cook continues in this vein England will be in good hands for some time to come.
 

Is England's ODI side just a feeder programme for Test Cricket?

When Alastair Cook was named as England's new One Day International captain at the start of this summer, there was a sense of a new beginning. Andrew Strauss was relieved of his duties after a disappointing run of results which began with the ODI series in Australia at the beginning of 2011 and continued into the World Cup in India, resulting in humiliating defeats at the hands of Ireland and Bangladesh, as well as a quarter-final mauling by Sri Lanka.

It was no surprise then that Strauss fell on his sword, given his age and the fact he won't be around for the next World Cup. But what was a surprise perhaps was that Cook, who until his appointment was nowhere near selection into the ODI side on merit, was suddenly promoted to captain. Had he been a regular in the side then fair enough, but Cook wasn't even considered for the World Cup squad.

Cook, like Strauss, is a superb Test batsman, arguably in the best form of his life, but by making him captain of the One Day set up, isn't the ECB basically accepting that they see One Day cricket as a feeder programme for the Test side? And if that is the case, can England really hope to compete when the top ODI sides like Sri Lanka and India come to town? Are England not devaluing the One Day format by using it to blood new players and captains for Test cricket?

Cook is undoubtedly a future Test captain, and what the selectors have done is give him the ODI gig to gain experience of captaining a side, which he wouldn't otherwise be able to acquire. He couldn’t captain Essex, for example, due to England commitments. Fair doos, but having a non-specialist ODI opener in the side, just because he is the next Test captain, hardly augments the ODI side. You wouldn't add Craig Kieswetter to the Test side just to give him international experience for an ODI World Cup, now would you. 

I personally don't believe it would have been to the detriment of the Test side if the ODI captaincy had been given to an established member of the ODI side. What about giving it to someone like James Anderson, who has been England's best bowler for years and has always been involved in ODI cricket. It would have provided a different dynamic to have a bowler as captain, perhaps resulting in more aggressive field placings when England are bowling.

Another issue is that with both Cook and Jonathan Trott in the top three, England now have two specialist Test batsmen at the top of the innings. Both players are in fine fettle in Test cricket, while Trott showed in Australia and during the World Cup that he could succeed in One Day cricket too. But having both in the line-up really does put pressure on Cook's opening partner, currently Craig Kieswetter, and the number four, currently Kevin Pietersen, to accelerate the run-rate from the off.

Personally, I liked the idea of Pietersen opening in the World Cup. I thought it was an aggressive move that showed England's intent from the off. England certainly scored plenty of runs in their first few World Cup games, before Pietersen withdrew through injury, most notably during that remarkable draw against India in Bangalore. 

Bell has also been mooted as a possible opener, and had Cook not been appointed captain, either Bell or Pietersen opening with Kieswetter would have been a strong opening pair. That would also have cemented Trott’s position as England’s anchor at three – the Warwickshire batsman has an average of 50 at a strike rate of 80 in ODI's, let’s not forget. 

Of course there is no way Cook will be dropped now. He has been given the job, and should be afforded time to make his mark. England have mixed things up by having a different captain for all three formats of the game, it's just a shame they didn't do that with the best interests of each individual format in mind.