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***Official*** India in England 2014

Spikey

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Well good for Prior, you felt Cook had backed himself into a corner on this one.
not really. Athers put him in awkward spot and frankly Cook said all the right things. Supported the player, played tribute to his record, said at the end of the day you've got to perform etc. And Cook isnt a dictator that has sole control over the side anyway. The idea that the selection panel were scared to drop him, 7 months after they dropped him, is crazy.
 

kingkallis

International Coach
All of you asking for the heads of Prior, Stokes, Bell will see them once again @ Southampton. English selectors wont make wholesale changes mid-series for sure.

I would love to see how Cook plays once relieved from the pressure of captaining this ****ed up team.

Edit: Just read about Prior though.
 
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social

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Starting to see parallels between Cook and Kim Hughes

England need to do something to ensure that Alistair doesn't end up the same way
 

Blocky

Banned
Cook just isn't a good captain, he's not tactically sound and to be honest, the only guys who seem to like his leadership are the guys who are now failing to back him up. Prior and Bell in particular.

The reality is when you've lost three of your most successful players in Swann, Trott and Pietersen after one series and your other seniors aren't performing this is where you end up and because they've gone back to Moores, they really don't have any options as the best batsman and probably the captain this side currently needs isn't being considered to play. Pietersen wouldn't tolerate this **** if he was captain and he'd definitely be playing a lot better than Cook.

England have done this to themselves through bad man management, even worse selection policies - calling Stokes back when he's in the glut of his life for instance? Keeping Prior in the side when he hasn't done anything of note in so many years. England now comes down to whether or not Broad or Anderson fire the other team out.
 
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Cabinet96

Hall of Fame Member
I'm not really sure how you can derive who and who doesn't like his leadership. Unless you've read stuff I haven't?
 

Blocky

Banned
I'm not really sure how you can derive who and who doesn't like his leadership. Unless you've read stuff I haven't?
Through the recent stuff released by Swann, Prior, Pietersen and also guys close to the team like Strauss and Vaughan. There was suggestion that the younger players were all backing Broad and not finding Cook that inspirational.
 

Dan

Hall of Fame Member
Bell, Anderson and Broad still all have credit in the bank from years of good performances. Prior's well and truly exhausted all of his, Cook's not too far behind (at least while captaining) and Stokes' Aussie ton is wearing thin. They're the first 3 to go, not Bell/Anderson/Broad. Not six months ago Broad was England's best bowler in the away Ashes, and Bell their best batsman.

That being said, Bell's spot seems the most likely to go to Eoin Morgan when he undoubtedly gets picked as captain. Or Moeen, but Moeen's been way too gun and Morgan doesn't bowl useful offies.

Prior has to go. Specialist 'keeper for now if they're intent on playing a genuine all-rounder at 8, otherwise Buttler is the obvious pick. Is Stokes a better bowler than Jordan? On current form it's probably marginal, so I'd probably go for Woakes if Stokes isn't deemed to be doing enough with the ball to justify his place on bowling alone. Or go really out there and hand a debut to Lewis Gregory. That'd be fun.

Cook will get until the end of the summer IMO. The selection panel isn't going to channel their inner 1989 (or was it 1993?) Ashes and change captains three times during the series.
 

DriveClub

International Regular
Why is Swann kissing so much Cook ass? Cook's a disgrace as a Captain and batsman now and I hate him for not being able to see KP play anymore.
 
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Blocky

Banned
They won't turn the side around with Cook as captain, he just doesn't have the ability to lead his side. The other fatal thing is that England constantly feel like they're turning the corner, i.e after the first test, a bit of fight was shown and they got a draw after losing to Sri Lanka. Cook had a bowl, got a wicket and was seen to be celebrating, some idiot authors considered this a sign that Cook was getting himself back into the right mental state and also that the team celebrating him showed they were all in unison.

A week later, a dismal performance as a side, a lack of imagination in bowling changes and fielding options and pretty much all of the senior players went missing and left it up to Ali, Root and Ballance.

Pietersen must be pissing himself with laughter at the moment.
 

Blocky

Banned
Need I remind people - England have lost seven of their last nine test matches while under Cook. This was a side that prior to the reign of Cook were ranked #1 in the world.
 

silentstriker

The Wheel is Forever
I think the criteria for whether you lose your Test status should depend on whether you as a team get can get bounced out by Ishant Sharma.
 

hendrix

Hall of Fame Member
Not many would disagree that the captaincy should change.

I just don't think Pietersen is a solution. Is he going to replace Bell? Pietersen hasn't even been playing county cricket from what I hear. If he were serious about wanting to play for England he wouldn't be making jokes at their expense.

I really don't think Moeen Ali or Stokes should be dropped. Yeah, Stokes was poor with the bat but he's playing as 4th bowler and in that role he performed very well.

Bell, Anderson and Broad under performed but they probably shouldn't be dropped just yet.

The only change I would make is the captaincy and keeper. Foster to me seems the best solution but it's also unlikely.
 

Flem274*

123/5
You take the captaincy from Cook, drop Prior, install Foster as keeper and captain.

You tell Cook to concentrate on his batting. Tell the bowlers to listen to Foster and ****ing bowl well or they'll be dropped. Tell Bell to bat better or he'll be dropped.
Considering your nationality, you should be one of the last people calling for a Lee Germon.
the best batsman and probably the captain this side currently needs isn't being considered to play. Pietersen wouldn't tolerate this **** if he was captain and he'd definitely be playing a lot better than Cook.
This is such a Blocky post. Ignore how terrible KP's captaincy was last time he tried it, and how few runs he's scored in any format this summer, get the dick swinging glossy alpha male in there to sort things out.
Need I remind people - England have lost seven of their last nine test matches while under Cook. This was a side that prior to the reign of Cook were ranked #1 in the world.
Cook needs to go but he led them to a series win in India, so he's not terrible. He's just an average captain in **** form leading a side with no confidence. Burgey may have been trolling but he's probably right England saw Ishant bang it in and had flashbacks of Johnson. They're scared of losing, and they don't think they can win.

It takes a special leader to bring a team back from this and it won't happen this series. Cook isn't their guy. A self serving **** who probably masturbates to himself in the mirror like KP isn't that guy. Superb player and he's got the stones to lead with bat in hand but he's not a skipper.
 

Blocky

Banned
Considering your nationality, you should be one of the last people calling for a Lee Germon.

This is such a Blocky post. Ignore how terrible KP's captaincy was last time he tried it, and how few runs he's scored in any format this summer, get the dick swinging glossy alpha male in there to sort things out.
He was captain in three tests, managed to beat South Africa by six wickets, lost to India and drew with India. I think England would take 1/1/1 for their last three matches considering - oh, also managed two centuries in those three tests by the way for an average of 50. I don't think KP is a great captain, but I think he's a **** tonne better than Cook with both bat and tactics as a captain. He'd also have something to prove and seemed to have the younger players in the squad playing better than they currently are.

Let me put it another way, between Cook as batsman and captain, or Pietersen as batsman and captain - who do you think has more chance of winning the next match against India?
 

Flem274*

123/5
I said after the Ashes that England shouldn't panic because everything that could go wrong for them did go wrong and everything that could go right for Australia went right. Series where the stars align for a team happen.

They shouldn't panic now either. The senior players don't appear to have any confidence in themselves but dropping the other half of the Ashes team officially counts as panicking. When you replace players you need to bring in players who are better than those you're replacing, not players who are in better form. Adam Lyth might be a good player, but is he going to be better than Cook in the long run? Morgan is not better than Ian Bell. Foster will never be the batsman Prior was, but is apparently the better keeper and Prior has stepped aside so that's fair. Jordan, Finn and Woakes aren't ever going to be better than Anderson or Broad.

Wholesale changes are a lazy attempt to make a quick fix instant improvement of a team that needs hard work to get better. All you'll be doing is dropping class players in bad form for lesser players in good county cricket form (a competition where Jeetan Patel, Jesse Ryder and James Franklin are genuine strike bowlers). England have done the right thing in bringing through their next best for the retired players, though dropping KP was stupid. The next best have shown promise and performed, but there is enough new blood for now.

What England need to do is take the hard road and fix their best players. I doubt Broad and Anderson are bowling too short on purpose. There might be some technical adjustments they need to make. Likewise Cook needs some help with a fix up too. I don't know who the best technical coaches in England are but they need to get around the English senior players and get Cook back in balance and the two opening bowlers pitching it up. England are a few senior players in form away from being a top four side again. That doesn't sound so hard.

The big problem is who captains. I don't know any of the English players personally so I can't judge who is most suited to it but Cook is falling to bits and the skipper needs to be assured of their place. That leaves Bell, Root, Broad and Anderson.
 

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