What’s the story?
Alastair Cook walked away from the England Test captaincy last week and has now admitted that he had been let down by the handling of the ouster of Kevin Pietersen. Cook, who led England for 5 years, chose his final media interaction as skippers to talk about his regret at the way Pietersen was jettisoned after the 2013-14 Ashes.
“I do wish it had been done differently. Obviously it was a big part of my captaincy. I felt it wasn’t handled particularly well by the ECB. I know I was the lightning rod for it, every person thought it was my decision. I felt I bore the brunt of that, unfairly in my opinion,” said Cook to the media.
The heart of the matter
The man who led England a record-breaking 59 times spoke about how he played a part in sacking Pietersen after the 5-0 defeat in the 2013-14 Ashes. With discontent in the team and Pietersen deemed as the culprit, the ECB decided they wanted to continue without him and demanded everyone to trust each other and pull in one direction.
Extra Cover: Five best moments from Alastair Cook's captaincy
Cook was a part of the decision making along with seven other people. Though the captain has the power, the ultimate decision is not in his hands. The former England captain regrets his part in the issue and recalled being all over the front and back pages of newspapers and social media. He also said that the responsibility as a captain is to get cricket on the front page and not be a part of any controversy.
What’s next?
Joe Root is expected to be the successor of Cook, a decision which might be out soon. Cook still has a lot to contribute with the bat and can easily play another 4-5 years and help Root develop as a captain and player.
In case you didn’t know...
In the first Test after the sacking of Pietersen at Hampshire’s Ageas Bowl Test in 2014 against India, Cook was out of form and results were unimpressive. But the warm reception and a standing ovation from the crowd when he walked out to the crease convinced him that he still had the support.
He went on to captain the English for two and half years more. But after the 4-0 defeat against India in 2016-17 series, Cook knew he could not captain the team anymore.
Sportskeeda take
In hindsight, the ECB and Cook could have handled the Pietersen controversy in a better and much more civil manner. Pietersen is regarded as one of the best players to represent England and the manner in which he was discarded left a bad taste in the mouth. England could very well use a player of the calibre of Pietersen in the current middle order.
