Who is next after Cook?

On the point with Aubrey Kamba
AFTER leading England in a record 59 Tests and a winning percentage of 41 percent, Alastair Cook stepped down as England cricket team’s Test skipper on Monday.
Cook, who became the English captain after Andrew Strauss’ retired in 2012 led the side in more Test matches than any other England skipper.

Cook led England to twin Ashes victories at home in 2013 and 2015 and also captained the side which defeated India and South Africa on their home soil.

Cook, who is England’s highest run-getter in Tests – 11,057 runs in 140 Tests, also led the England ODI side in 69 games between 2010 and 2014. “His (Cook’s) resignation has been accepted, the Board have been informed and the proper process has started to appoint the next Test captain – the 80th in England’s Test match history,” as reported by the ECB.

So who is tipped to take over from Cook? Joe Root, one of the best modern-day batsmen is tipped to take over England’s captaincy in Tests. Cook had said how honoured he was to have been the skip for England and to have led the Test team over the past five years. Stepping down is said to have been an incredibly hard decision for a man who loves playing for his nation, but was the correct decision for him and the right one for the team.

After the India series he spoke to Colin Graves, the chairman, to explain and offer his resignation. It was a sad day for Cook in many ways, but he went on to thank everyone he has captained, all the coaches and support staff and, of course, the England supporters and the Barmy Army who follow the Three Lions home and away and have given the team an unwavering support.

“Playing for England really is a privilege and I hope to carry on as a Test player, making a full contribution and helping the next England captain and the team however I can,” Cook said.

Andrew Strauss is Cook’s former captain and opening partner and now Director of England Cricket – paid rich homage to Cook, saying: “I want to thank Alastair, on behalf of the ECB and from a personal perspective, for the phenomenal contribution that he’s made to the England Test team since taking over as Captain in 2012.

“His country owes him a great debt of gratitude; he’s led the team with determination, conviction and a huge amount of pride over the last five years and his record stands for itself. With more matches leading the team than anyone, including two Ashes wins, he deserves to be seen as one of our country’s great captains,” Strauss added.

Off the field as well as on, Cook showed his strengths, developing the team and its culture, managing a fundamental transformation and helping to build for the future.

As with all leaders, there have been times where circumstances have tested him but his resilience and temperament have helped him to prevail and to prosper.

“We now move on with the process of appointing the right successor. There are a number of established players who are playing formal or informal leadership roles and whilst we’ve rightly not spoken to anyone in relation to the Test captaincy so far, we can now talk fully and openly within the team. We expect to be able to make an announcement before the team head to the West Indies on February 22,” concluded Strauss.

Cook shall be missed as captain, but because he remains eligible to be selected we surely shall see him challenge the scores set by Sachin Tendulkar. He has shown tremendous gift and acumen on the crease that has made him the greatest English batsman of all time. This time it means that he will not have anything to carry with him besides the bat. The draw backs that come with being captain do not hold him anymore.

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