#360debate: Should Alastair Cook be dropped as England’s one-day captain?

Sport360 staff 10:41 15/12/2014
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  • Feeling the heat: Alastair Cook has failed with the bat and is under pressure to hold on to his captaincy in one-dayers.

    Another poor ODI outing against Sri Lanka has put a question mark on the England skipper’s World Cup hopes with plenty of people believing that his individual performances are having an adverse affect on what has the foundations of an exciting one-day side.

    – Sri Lanka thrash England by 90 runs to secure series win

    Our #360debate today is: Should Alastair Cook be dropped as England's one-day captain?

    Ajit Vijaykumar, Sub Editor, thinks YES

    England have lost six of their last seven ODI series and nine of their last 12 one-dayers. Even for a team that doesn’t chase ODI glory with all its might, it is a startling statistic.

    It’s not that England don’t have good limited overs cricketers. Moeen Ali and Joe Root have shown they can up the ante while batting in coloured clothing with Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara the experienced hands in the middle order.

    England are also blessed with some outstanding all-rounders. Wicketkeeper Jos Buttler is a fearless batsman and adds spark to the team. Then come the Chrises – Woakes and Jordan.

    Both are sturdy fast bowlers who can clear the ropes with the bat in hand and are exceptional in the field too. Add to the mix the wily off-spin of James Tredwell and the searing pace of Steven Finn, and you have a great mix for ODI success.

    But something has gone terribly wrong. And it’s easy to pin point it – Cook the opener and Cook the leader. So unsure is the left-handed batsman about his form and place in the side that he seems preoccupied with worrying about his spot rather than looking after the team or think of winning a match.

    Dismissed: Sri Lanka celebrate as England skipper Alastair Cook looks dismayed.

    There is no denying Alastair Cook is batting poorly and his own individual performances are having an adverse affect on what has the foundations of an exciting one-day side.

    Sure, he enters the field looking to win a game for England but the lack of conviction is so apparent, I feel sorry for him. And if you begin to feel sorry for a player, that generally is the beginning of the end.

    England coach Peter Moores hinted as much after losing the series to Sri Lanka in Pallekele, saying he can’t guarantee Cook’s place in the World Cup. 

    Forget leading the side at the showpiece event in Australia and New Zealand, Cook does not deserve a place in the side. One half-century in 21 ODI innings is shockingly poor and I don’t see any reason why England should head Down Under with a player who is almost guaranteed to fail.

    The way England have fared under Cook in ODIs, I feel any other player can do a better job in his place.

    James Piercy, Deputy Editor, thinks NO

    There is no denying Alastair Cook is batting poorly and his own individual performances are having an adverse affect on what has the foundations of an exciting one-day side.

    However, while it would be perhaps prudent to take Cook out of the starting XI for tomorrow’s final and dead rubber of the series against Sri Lanka (I’m sure a niggling injury could be ‘discovered’ to avoid him being actually dropped) he remains as integral to the future of this team as Jos Buttler, Joe Root or Chris
    Woakes.

    The average age of England’s batting unit in their provisional World Cup squad is 26, with eight of the 15 batsmen or batting all-rounders 25 or under; Cook turns 30 later this month, and for all the talk of potential and talent, that must be anchored by experience.

    Outside of Cook the only others whofulfil that role are Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan and the erratic Ravi Bopara, none of which, incidentally, have a higher ODI average than their captain.

    Cook has also been important in promoting Buttler, Root, James Taylor and Alex Hales into the full-side. Those players see him as an example of what can be achieved as well as their captain and team-mate.

    Experienced: Alastair Cook made his debut at the age of 21.

    Cook being just 21 when he made his ODI debut.

    Confidence in cricket is just as important as a fluid technique or a robust forward defence. Cook’s now must be at a low ebb (witness him dropping Kumar Sangakkara in the last ODI) but all it takes is one innings and things could turn around.

    It’s not as if he’s been scoring particularly poorly. He’s had starts in three of his last five innings – 20, 34 and 22, implying a 20th one-day half-century isn’t too far away.

    Ultimately, though, it comes down to a question of timing and with the World Cup 62 days away, a possible six more ODIs to be played and a paucity of replacements (Morgan isn’t playing well either).

    England must back him.

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