Nasser Hussain urges Alastair Cook to rethink continuing as England captain
Ex-England captain Nasser Hussain has asked English skipper Alastair Cook to resign from the captaincy after the side’s series defeat to India. Geoffrey Boycott has slammed the tactics of playing three pacers in Indian conditions while Hussain termed it as the team’s worst defeat under Cook.
Although England managed to pull off a draw in the first Test of the series against India, they have since failed to muster enough steam in the subsequent matches and lost three consecutive games to hand the series to the hosts.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain felt that the series defeat is one of the worst that England
Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports, "It's one of the worst defeats England have had under Cook.
"The way they fielded, the dropped catches, the selection, the manner of the defeat this morning; they just got it horribly wrong from start to finish."
"Cook has to decide; is what he's doing making England a better side?" he said. "Has he got the energy to lead them up to the Ashes next year, to try and win Down Under and make up for the 5-0 defeat?
"Historically, it's around now that's the cut-off period - after about four years, 40 Test matches as captain; whether it be (Andrew) Strauss, (Michael) Atherton, Hussain, (Michael) Vaughan. If Cook has the energy, carry on with the job. But if not, go now and give (Joe) Root a chance."
Former England opener Geoffrey Boycott remarked that England 'folded' in the face of the hosts' momentum.
Boycott, on the BBC Radio 5 Live's Test Match Special podcast, said, "I've been in games like this, on winning sides and losing sides - when the rolling stone is going downhill, it's very difficult to stop it.”
"You just fold. You don't give up but it just goes badly."
Despite winning the toss three times in the series, the tactics of playing three seamers and only two proper spinners backfired. The English pacers failed to create an impact and at times even failed to extract enough reverse swing when the ball was scuffed off.
Boycott advised the team to play an extra spinner or an extra batsman in the place of a pacer, who can add value to the team.
"After they've lost three on turning pitches, I don't think they're going to get a
"If the pitch in the next Test is going to be like this, you can open the bowling with (James) Anderson and (Ben) Stokes. You need a third spinner and an extra batsman.
"I don't care who you leave out. You can't pick Stuart Broad just because he's a good bowler and he says he's fit, you can't pick Chris Woakes just because he's had the best year of his life,” he added.
Boycott asked the English management to send the young players to the
"I would send for another batsman from the Lions. All Gary Ballance has had is
"If you're not confident in them, let the kids go home. The last person they got from the Lions got a hundred and naught, so that went quite well,” he said.
Like Boycott, Vaughan also seemed very critical towards the English batting line-up, which failed to fire as a unit in the series.
He told 5 Live Sports Extra, "England's spinners aren't as good as India's, but England's batting hasn't been good enough either. They don't have the patience to bat long enough, to play low-risk strokes. They have lots of boundary options, but not enough in terms of defence.”
Vaughan said that India’s victory was pretty convincing and England have been completely hammered this season. He termed Anderson’s remark on Virat Kohli as ‘nonsense’.
"England have been hammered. You can make up excuses, say that Virat Kohli is only good in these conditions, but that is nonsense."
Boycott also criticized James Anderson for his remarks and said that he has got a ‘tit for tat’ treatment.
Boycott said: "Jimmy Anderson's one of the worst for rabbiting at the opposition, giving them some lip, and hardly any umpire steps in. So when he comes into bat and the opposition are winning, they're fed up with him going at them and it's payback time. Two wrongs don't make a right and I'm glad the umpires stepped in."
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