Thefulltoss: Alastair Cook| A Protected Species?

From the Fulltoss.com

Giles Clarke’s famous remark that Alastair Cook was ‘a very good role model and he and his family are very much the sort of people we want the England captain and his family to be’ summed it up really. We’d all suspected the ECB were a bit stuffy for a long time, but here was clear proof, in black and white, that class (or image) played a role in the ECB’s decision-making. Was looking the part, and sounding the part, actually more important than being able to play the part?

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Although Cook’s supporters might argue that England have kept faith because his record suggests runs are just around the corner, try telling that to the likes of Graham Thorpe, who was dumped unceremoniously before the 2005 Ashes despite having an injection a few days beforehand that was supposed to see him through the international summer. Thorpe hadn’t even stopped scoring runs. If you’re slightly abrasive, anti-establishment (or something of a loner) you always seem to get a shorter rope in English cricket. Alastair on the other hand, with his good manners and quintessentially Waitrose persona, seems to have friends in high places.

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And yet still the ECB seem in no rush whatsoever to move on from Cook. Even though, for the first time in a long time, a viable alternative candidate is ready and waiting to take over – a potential captain who not only has an aggressive mindset that dovetails far better with England’s coach and attacking young players, but a potential captain who could also lead the side in all three formats (and so bring balance to The Force).

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