“They judge you by the final results most of the time and he hasn’t had his best players available”; Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook says he feels sorry for current skipper Joe Root, who has been unable to field his strongest team lately due to the team’s rest and rotation policy.
Joe Root has overseen four losses in five Tests while England have continued their rest and rotation policy.
Sir Alastair Cook has sympathized with his successor as Test captain, suggesting that Joe Root has paid the price for England’s selection decisions.
Root is going through a difficult period in charge of the red ball team, overseeing four losses in the last five games and leading a series loss at home for the first time after New Zealand’s win at Edgbaston last week.
He’s had a hand tied behind his back at times, with injuries to Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer compounded by rest periods for veteran players like Jos Buttler, Mark Wood, Jonny Bairstow, Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali, all of whom have sat outside. great test matches.
Cook is England’s most experienced captain, having led the team 59 times before handing over the baton to Root in 2016, and admits that even he cannot relate to Root’s situation.
“You have to say it hasn’t worked for Rooty, and I’m really sorry for him,” said Cook, who participated in National Yorkshire Tea Cricket Week along with the Chance to Shine charity.
“When you play for England, or you are the captain, coach or coach, they judge you by the final results most of the time and he hasn’t had his best players available.
“You can’t buy the experience of Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali; those kinds of players make a big difference. I’ve never had to be captain during a pandemic, I didn’t even know what a pandemic is. It was when I He was a captain, but you have a test captain who has not been able to play his best side.
“The decisions don’t seem to have been made correctly. I’ve been on the other side, where you’re trying to make decisions for the right reasons, but they judge you by your results, don’t.” you?
“He was going very well, winning the Test series at home, then Sri Lanka away and 1-0 against India. Then you rest and break the players, and since then he’s been chasing them a bit.”
Cook, speaking after taking a virtual training session with children at Stanningley Elementary School in Leeds, also cautioned against reacting to recent results with drastic changes.
Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence have all had their top-six positions questioned, but, having spent the last few years on the national tour with Essex, Cook sees no obvious replacement.
“No, not really, not in terms of someone who is totally ready,” he said.
“These players, I would say, are the best players out there. These guys have consistently performed for their counties. It seems like when there is pressure, they haven’t found their method yet to be able to respond to that.” .
“A lot of people talk about techniques, but these are the techniques that many races give them, and they have scored them. He tries hundreds.”
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Catch England’s first T20 international match against Sri Lanka, in Cardiff, live on Sky Sports Cricket starting at 6pm on Wednesday.
