http://www.senore.com/Cricket/James-Peter-Hewitt-c66001 to fill – Opinion - Part 1
One decision came as a surprise to many, but the other seemed a straight forward one. Cook’s elevation to Test captaincy was an easy call for the England and Wales Cricket board in the aftermath of Andrew Strauss’ retirement from all forms of cricket.
English Cricket would certainly reflect back on Strauss’ reign with pride for their country, as his astute leadership and exemplary man-management skills had propelled the team to whole new level, never witnessed in the past. In his 50 Tests as skipper,
the team won 24 and loss just 11, a success rate marginally bettered by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Michael-Paul-Vaughan-c76145.
Their failure in a sport which they initiated had been quite baffling, considering the talent they had at their disposal over the years. The 90s were marked as the weakest years in their cricket, and while http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Nasser-Hussain-c78777 offered them hope, it was during
Vaughan’s tenure that they finally found some sort of stability.
Their victory in the 2005 Ashes series was expected to be a turning point, but what followed were another couple of years of drought and despair. Injuries and loss of form hampered the team before internal conflict forced a deadlock.
Aboard came the two Andrews – Strauss and Flower – and together they not only rescued a sinking ship but drove the team forward with a sense of purpose. Their mission was not to overcome http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746, but to become the best side in the world.
After assembling a squad which was blessed with energy, youthfulness, and more essentially, talent, they swept aside the Aussies before taking the no.1 throne in Test cricket. Though their joy was short lived, lasting close to a year, and ending in disarray,
the winning mentality/culture installed by the Strauss-Flower combination ensures that http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 cricket has the bounce-back ability which teams of the past lacked.
To say ‘no’ to their most premier batsman – http://www.senore.com/Cricket/KP-Pietersen-c1806 – speaks volume of their stance that no player is bigger than the team itself. However, despite persisting with the notion, ECB and Flower further understand the importance of having their best
players available and have worked accordingly to sort matters out.
For England to be successful once again, be it under Strauss or his replacement Cook, they need to keep the group together. While his predecessor’s success largely relied on his man-management qualities, which he used to get the best out of his players,
Cook’s captaincy tends to offer more when he contributes himself.
He might not be the most recognizable face in cricket, or might not offer the most enterprising innings, but his determination and fighting spirit is head and shoulders above the rest. With a career which began in 2006, it is staggering to notice that the
left-hander has already played in 83 Test matches, just 17 less than Strauss.
Most of them have been played with the now retired opener, so one can certainly believe that he has learned all the tricks and trades of the sport. Like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AJ-Strauss-c964, he too seems unnatural when it comes to captaincy at first glance, but both have gradually
grown into their roles.
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