Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook have some talking to do © Getty Images
England’s Test captain Alastair Cook will meet Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, on Friday, but there is no certainty that the issue of the Test captaincy will be resolved.
While such a debrief has become an established part of recent business for the England team, Cook admitted after defeat in the Test series in India that he had “questions” over his future and needed to “go away and do some thinking.”
“I’ve got to go away and decide whether I am the right man to take England forward,” Cook said at the time.
Having led the Test team more than any other England player – he has been full-time captain since late 2012 – there were times on the tour of India when it appeared Cook, at 32, had lost his enthusiasm for some aspects of the job. But, having been obliged to leave his family just hours after the birth of his second child, it may simply prove that his thoughts were elsewhere and a period of rest and reflection will revive that enthusiasm.
There remains no indication that Strauss, or anyone else at the ECB, wants change. Both the coach, Trevor Bayliss, and assistant coach Paul Farbrace, who have spoken to Strauss in recent days, have expressed their hope that Cook will continue as leader. The current squad of players, some of whom are also understood to have spoken to Strauss this week, remain equally loyal.
Meanwhile, Joe Root, Cook’s likely replacement, has just become a father for the first time and, as England’s key batsman in all formats of the game, could be forgiven for looking at the schedule and wondering if he will see much of his new son until he is well into his teens.
England’s home international programme in 2017 begins on May 5 and ends later than ever on September 29, while players involved in all formats will return from an ensuing winter tour that starts in October 2017 as late as April the following year. That Root will become captain at some point is seemingly inevitable, but he is not seeking it at present.
The key is Cook’s appetite for the job. If he has any doubts that he can get through series against South Africa – so often the downfall of England captains in recent times – West Indies and Australia, it may well be decided that he is better to quit now and allow Root every opportunity to grow into the role ahead of the Ashes. But if he finds himself revived by a period at home, it seems unlikely Strauss will intervene to sack him.
Either way, the ECB are stressing a decision may not be imminent. Indeed, they are now saying that it might not come until after the limited-overs games in India. Strauss and Cook have clearly spoken in the last few days, though perhaps not face to face, and the meeting on Friday is not necessarily expected to resolve the issue.
While there may be an element of the ECB playing for time in attempting to manage expectations of an early announcement over Cook’s future – every day seems to bring a fresh story at present and it would be no surprise if the issue was resolved imminently – it is true that there is no obvious hurry.
While it would make sense to have matters resolved some time in advance of England’s next Test series, that does not start until July and the ECB feel that any imminent deadline has been more media imposed than is realistic.
George Dobell is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo