ECB must consider taking captaincy away from Cook: Vaughan

Image
Press Trust of India London
Last Updated : Jul 20 2014 | 2:55 PM IST
Michael Vaughan has slammed England captain Alastair Cook's "poor tactics" in the ongoing Lord's Test against India and called for the ECB to consider taking the captaincy away from him.
Vaughan, in his article for the 'Daily Telegraph', said "We have reached the stage with Cook when he cannot be enjoying cricket. You don't when you are not playing well and the team is struggling."
The former skipper said England should have been strolling in the second Test against India but because of "poor tactics" they are left chasing the game.
Cook's role has come under increasing scrutiny after nine winless Tests and 26 innings without a century, his most recent failure coming in this week's second Test against India at Lord's.
Ex-England players such as Geoffrey Boycott and Alec Stewart have suggested that Cook can no longer handle the pressure of leadership.
"It is easy for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to say it is going to stick by him but it has to ask what is best for the team and for Cook. The ECB has a responsibility to Cook the person to do the right thing and if that means taking the captaincy away then so be it," Vaughan wrote, giving his candid opinion.
In the column, to drive home his point, Vaughan narrates his own struggles with captaincy and how he came out of it.
"I went through terrible moments opening the batting and captaining the side. I could not buy a run in my first series against South Africa and really struggled in Sri Lanka. It was killing me going to my room at night hating this job," Vaughan said.
"I reached a stage in 2004 when it took a very honest conversation with the coach at the time, Duncan Fletcher, to sort it out," he said.
"I am now waiting for that Duncan moment to happen to Alastair. I do not see him as anything other than an opening batsman so moving down the order is not an option. The question should be do you think you can get back to the form you showed on that tour to India and captain the side? Would England miss his tactical captaincy at Southampton if he stood down? The honest truth is I do not think they would," Vaughan wrote.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jul 20 2014 | 2:55 PM IST

Next Story