Ex-Oz skipper Waugh feels Cook must stop 'captaining for commentators'

Former Australia captain Steve Waugh feels that England skipper Alastair Cook must try his instincts and stop captaining for the commentators.

Cook's position as the captain of England is under scrutiny after nine Tests without a win and 26 innings without a century and he has received criticism from pundits.

Waugh said that what Cook needs to do is do it his way, adding that he has to trust his gut instinct, his feel for what is going on and not be afraid to make mistakes, The BBC reported.

Cook has reportedly been more innovative this summer after being branded as 'boring' by player-turned-pundit Shane Warne during England's 5-0 Ashes whitewash by Australia, but Waugh believes that the new approach has been counter-productive.

Waugh was particularly critical of Cook's strategy in the first innings of the second Test against India at Lord's, when Liam Plunkett was asked to bombard the tourists with bouncers on a pitch offering prodigious movement. The tactic backfired as India recovered from 145-7 to post 295 all out.

Waugh, who won 41 of his 57 Tests as Australia captain between 1999 and 2004, said that the mistakes Cook made on Thursday were, he thought, because he was captaining for the commentators.

However, Waugh added 145-7 on a flat track, that is when one needed to be boring, bowl line and length and wait for the nick.

He said that England could have bowled India out for 180 and been 150 runs in front. Instead, Waugh added they went for the 'Bodyline' theory, leg side, just to be innovative and seen to be doing something.

Waugh said that unfortunately Cook picked the wrong time to be innovative.

England has not won a Test since their 3-0 Ashes victory over Australia last summer, since when they have suffered a 5-0 whitewash in the reverse series down under and a 1-0 home defeat by Sri Lanka, the report added.