So Alastair Cook has fallen on his sword. Well, let’s hope the blade is blunt because his successor as England skipper will be sorely grateful for the opener’s runs and experience on and off the field.
After nearly five years and 59 Tests as captain of the national side, it remains hard to register that Cook is only 32. On quitting the England post, Andrew Strauss went the whole hog and retired from the sport but there are plenty of years left in Alastair’s cricketing locker. Good for Essex, great for England. Provided he stays injury-free and any dips in form don’t last, he could serve England for another five years at least. Maybe ten; just look at Misbah-ul-Haq! And then there is the issue of personal targets. Cook is already easily the highest Test run scorer in England’s history with more than 11,000 and 30 centuries.
His average of 46.45, though creditable, is the weakest of any of the other 11 men with at last 10,000 runs to their names. However, apart from Sunil Gavaskar, Cook is the only regular opening batsman on that short list of all-time greats, making his achievements even more impressive. His stats as captain ain’t bad either. The pressures of leadership haven’t had a notably negative effect on his scoring, although his removal from ODI duties may have helped.
Inevitably, scrutiny will be applied to his legacy as captain. He enjoyed a fabulous first few years including the memorable 2012-13 triumph in India and Ashes retention later that summer. The revenge at home to Australia in 2015 and subsequent success in South Africa last year were further highlights, but the demolition by Johnson, Harris and Warner Down Under and the recent woeful tour of Asia blotted his copybook. Nevertheless the best captain in the universe can't win matches on his own, and England's current transitional squad without a top-class spinner have brought Cook's win percentage down to a modest 40%.
However, I won’t criticise him for his resilience in the face of Pietersen-gate and KP’s powerful but misguided supporters three years ago. The ECB was right to drop and banish Pietersen to the modern day equivalent of Saint Helena, i.e. the Big Bash and IPL. However, I’m sure he earned more than Napoleon did in exile two centuries ago!
Now for the succession. How England must regret James Taylor’s early retirement, forced by ill health. He would have been the perfect candidate; an excellent all-round batsman with experience of leading the Lions and his county. Joe Root must surely be handed the reins. At 26, he is old enough and mature enough, one of the few automatic choices for the Test XI and genuine world-class. Yet that doesn’t make him a good captain.
Most national sides resort to making their best player – no, best batsman - captain at some point, from Lara to Ponting, Tendulkar to Mathews. Yet, for all the stardust emanating from such players, the tactical nous and dressing room leadership can sometimes be missing. For England, Botham, Flintoff and that man Pietersen spring to mind.
Stokes and Buttler are non-starters (on account of temperament and Test ability, respectively) while Keaton Jennings is too much of a newcomer, and he has yet to take charge at Durham, for us to have evidence on which to judge him. Stuart Broad has been touted on account of his short-lived captaincy of the T20 team but leading in a Test match requires more than being able to add up to 20 and bringing in sufficient fielders during a Powerplay.
There are few obvious contenders from within the county game. James Vince and Sam Northeast have yet to convince as batsmen when it comes to the step-up to international level while picking Surrey’s captain Gareth Batty would be frankly ridiculous, although as a Somerset fan I am naturally biased! Some may prefer a more positive, combative leader in the McCullum mould, such as Stokes, Bairstow or Anderson? Really?!
No it has to be Root. I’m sure the selectors will trust his ability to learn on the job, applying the unflappability and decision-making skills obvious in his batting to the captaincy. All England supporters must hope the extra responsibility doesn’t hamper his day job. This is where Alastair Cook can continue to lend a massive hand. He may have resigned as skipper but his value to the England Test team will remain immense for some time to come.
