England have not won a Test in 10 games. There is no way to soften the blow of that statistic.
The slide that started last year is only getting worse and with each passing match, England are slipping further into the cesspit of doubt that stops teams from making most of their opportunities.
Just as they had Australia’s batting line-up on the mat in every Test of their last Ashes series Down Under and yet ended up losing 5-0, England again let India get out of a tough spot and trample all over them.
On a tailor-made track at Lord’s in the second Test, India were 145- 7 in the first innings but ended up sealing a historic win. It was, without doubt, a remarkable fightback by India who plugged away with the bat and ball and showed a lot more grit than their counterparts.
However, equally obvious was Alastair Cook’s side’s propensity to let go of dominant positions. Many post-mortems will be performed and the first assessment done would be on Cook’s captaincy.
One thing is clear, Cook is not the player, or skipper, he once was. He can’t seem to buy a run nowadays and his tactics look less calculated and more desperate. Cook doesn’t deserve to be the captain at present but, as things stands, England should not fire him.
There are two reasons for that belief. Firstly, the five-Test India series has created an incredibly crammed schedule with 25 days of cricket to be played in just 42 days, with hardly any breathing space between matches.
The series is well under way and nothing should be done to rock the boat further, as there is simply no time to try anything drastic. That doesn’t mean England must give up and lose the remaining three Tests.
In fact, the hosts would be best served if they keep their chins up and attack the Indians because Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team aren’t exactly world champions and can crumble just as quickly as they have built themselves up.
And the second, more pertinent, reason for a preference of status quo is the absence of any viable alternatives. Ian Bell is the next in line as far as Test captaincy is concerned but his own form is just as bad, if not worse, when compared to Cook’s.
Bell has gone 19 innings without a three-digit score and has been lucky to avoid intense scrutiny because all the flak has been directed Cook’s way.
The other senior member in the side, wicketkeeper Matt Prior, has completely lost the plot with the gloves and the bat. No wonder he has decided to ‘step away’ from the team for the summer.
And putting the burden of Test captaincy on the already beleaguered Stuart Broad would be unfair to the all-rounder. So, we are left with Cook and a bunch of players low on morale.
Wholesale changes in these tough times seem a grandiose plan but they almost never work. Careful considerations and gradual alterations deliver better results.
With the series set to end by the middle of next month, and with the lack of a credible Plan B, England should stick with Cook and hope the storm passes by. He might just find his mojo back. If not, then we all know what needs to be done.
