Jrod: Captain Cook’s voyage of discovery
November 16th, 2009 by JRod in England, South Africa
Yesterday Alastair Cook looked like he had turned up for an exam of advanced calculus without having studied for it. All of his mates had advice, but none of them were actually sitting it.
It isn’t Cook’s fault – since his junior days he has hardly captained a game of cricket. No one picks wicketkeepers who have kept once in three years, so why captains?
Captaincy is hard. Even if you’ve read every page of Brearley’s Art of Captaincy.
It isn’t something you should just jump into at international level to see how it feels. A Twenty20 (or Pro20 if you simply must refer to it as such) game might not be the most serious contest out there, but Cook’s pantsing was shown to an international audience who couldn’t stop giggling.
Sitting in on leadership meetings and having the unofficial vice-captain title is nice, but no one gets picked to play as a batsman because they have seen a PowerPoint presentation on batting.
For some reason selectors don’t seem to think of captaining as a skill, it is just a role they pass to whoever has showed above average intelligence. Sometimes less.
Leadership, tactical nous, feel for the game and man-management are all required at once, like being a quarter-back without a coach in your ear.
Cook’s debut wasn’t made easier by some of the most amazing limited-over bowling of all time, but that can happen to any captain. If might have helped if he had a bit of time in charge at Essex this year. Or even last year, or the year before.
What is the point of anointing someone as ‘FEC’ if you don’t let them practice the skill?
Had he played in a county game where Neil Carter, Peter Trego or Dwayne Smith had done something similar, Cook would at least have had something to draw on.
Instead he was raw meat, and didn’t those South African boys eat him up.
Jrod is an Australian blogger, and now author. His book The Year Of The Balls 2008: A Disrespective is available now
Posted in England, South Africa | 15 Comments »
November 16th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
It would be nice if we picked our captains on the basis of previous experience, rather than going to a good school and having a posh accent.
Pietersen played yesterday – why couldn’t he captain, even if just for the one game?
November 16th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Having a posh accent? So that would be Vaughan, Freddie or Nasser?
November 17th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Cook was made captain because he’s from a private school and has a posh accent – so should be good officer material in the face of any viable alternatives.
What selectors failed to see is that he is an inarticulate fool, has no charisma and is one of the most stupid cricketers to play for England ever.
Pietersen was the obvious choice. If he was captain, the bowlers would have had more direction and confidence and England would not have been mauled.
I really want Cook to shut up and be dropped for just being rubbish.
November 17th, 2009 at 11:31 am
Cook looks like he will make a rubbish captain. He’s a grinning fool.
But he was the logical choice. He is vice-captain. Kevin Pietersen still has too much baggage and should be avoided as captain for a good few years – for his own good as much as England’s stability. The most impressive man, Broad, was injured and, besides, he has far too much to cope with without giving him the captaicnty.
So who else was there? Adil Rashid?
November 17th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
“Cook looks like he will make a rubbish captain”
No rush to judgment there then – all the good virtues of English tolerance and “give the chap a chance” nicely on display. One match. One loss. He’s rubbish…. yep. Next please.
November 17th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Played lots with Cook, he may not be Stephen Hawking but he’s certainly no fool. Showed great knowledge of the game from a young age and leads by example, Gumbo you are obviously demented or an Aussie to dribble such rubbish onto a public forum. Look at the facts, Pieterson had his chance and blew it due to his attitude, collingwood was injured so apart from maybe James Anderson or Matt prior we were lacking in senior players. Cook is only still 24, look at Graham Smith he was 21 and made captain and certainly didnt settle in straight away…..I think the main thing about 20/20 is that its almost irrelevant who the captain is especially when your bowling attack floats up low bungers and hlaf trackers for 20 overs straight !
November 17th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Roy Bull
I’m agreeing with you that he was the only logical choice.
As for you Paddy, just stop being so desperately smug will you. It’s a bloody blog, not the times.
November 17th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
I’ve thought Cook would be a rubbish captain ever since i first heard him talking about the game.
He just seemed cricket brain-dead.
The Twenty20 debacle did nothing to change my mind.
But i have never played with him so I bow to greater knowledge, Roy. I hope he is no fool and if he is ever England captain for real, i hope i am wrong.
November 17th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
I think the whole point is 20/20 is pretty much a lottery…..Like i said not even the best skippers in history could stop the runs they scored considering how we bowled. The batters always seem to be the easy target dont they, although Morgan and Trott look quality, especially Trott. Who honestly cares if he’s not a true Englishman, he’s close enough for me
)
November 17th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Gumbo
The medium is irrelevant. Either you have a mature attitude, knowledge, understanding and a sense of fair play or you don’t. You don’t. That’s not smug – it’s what you reveal to the world. And by the way it’s “The Times” – upper case for the first letter of each word. Blogs don’t have to be ignorant – and they don’t have to be illiterate either…
November 17th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Maybe you should italicize the times as well, in case anyone would think less of you. Isn’t that what newspapers do?
Thanks for smugly suggesting that I’m illiterate though. Oh and for also smugly suggesting that I don’t have an understanding of fair play, that I lack knowledge and that I’m immature.
I didn’t say Cook was a rubbish captain, I said he looks like he will make a rubbish captain. Which, going on that match and how he’s conducted himself in interviews, is pretty irrefutable. Hopefully I’m wrong about him though.
And the medium is relevant. We’re only commenting on someone else’s blog, not writing leaders for the times.
Commenting on blogs is supposed to be fun, to put your point across however you choose to. It is not for people who mistakenly take themselves seriously as a writer or thinker.
November 17th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
You’re sounding just as smug as Paddy now, Gumbo. Can everyone stop being so smug and talk about the cricket!
Roy – i disagree with you about T20 being a lottery. A decent leader would have given his bowlers clearer plans and they’d have bowled better. I reckon at least 40 runs better, in this case.
November 17th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Yeh but how smug is reversing your name to ‘taylor chris’? Chris Taylor is a perfectly nice, solid name.
November 17th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Am pretty sure Cooky wouldnt have been telling them to bowl juicy bungers and long hops tho…..Surely the bowlers have to take responsibility too? Good idea bowling Denly though,shows he’s not afraid to experiment whatever short comings he may have i dont think guts is one of them?
November 17th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Damn, it was funny watching a variety of ‘give the job to me’ types trying to mark their corners like cats while Cook looked shell-shocked.
He could make a bloody marvellous captain, who knows? Twenty/20 with Biffy and Bosman in that sort of mood isn’t the best way to start your captaincy career.
I liked the line about ‘we didn’t have the skills’ myself.