Pressure Is All on Alastair Cook as England Eye Sri Lanka and the World Cup
England coach Peter Moores describes Alastair Cook as a "steely character." It's a point, regardless of one's opinion on the captain, that's hard to argue with.
Indeed, Cook has proven his steeliness on countless occasions, defiantly racking up international runs like few countrymen have ever done before him.
But the 29-year-old's steel is also laced with an undeniable stubbornness, which right now, feels alarmingly restrictive for this England side; like a self-imposed obstacle that stands in the way of limited-overs progress.
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Such a trait was again made evident last week at Cook's press conference prior to departing for Sri Lanka, when the captain was pressed on the evolution of 50-over cricket and the need for England to radically alter their approach.
"In the last three or so years 250 being par has gone up, but I don't think it has gone up as much as people have made out," he said, per the Guardian. "We haven't won our last few series so we do have to improve the way we play. I don't think it requires a radical change of method, though."
It's that last sentence that is most troubling, for there continues to be an apparent refusal from Cook to acknowledge the rapid pace at which the limited-overs formats are speeding away from England. And the more stubbornly Cook digs his heels in, the greater that detachment becomes.
A quick glance at the record books shows England have only won seven of their 18 completed ODIs this calendar year. More tellingly, it's been more than two years since this team last won a one-day series against a side currently residing in the top four spots in the ICC ODI Rankings.
When India visited English shores last summer, England's dated methods were exposed more than ever before; MS Dhoni's men crushed the hosts with alarming ease to highlight the time warp that Cook's team is stuck in.
Laid bare was the chasm caused by England's distaste for the Indian Premier League, the biggest driving force for change in the sport. Essentially playing a different game, India mixed blazing aggression with ingenuity. England combined conservatism with, well, more conservatism.
Summing it up ever so neatly, it was Bleacher Report's Freddie Wilde who said it best: "England still treat ODIs as short Test matches; the rest of the world treats them as long T20 matches."
Frankly, it can't be put anymore concisely than that.
Interestingly, one of Cook's strongest allies conceded this week that England need to move with the times. It was Ian Bell, and he expressed the sort of attitude that the watching public have continually lamented the absence of.
"When we get out there we've got to be aggressive, we've got to be fearless and give it everything," Bell said, per the Guardian. "I think people would rather see us be aggressive and lose instead of being timid and come away with nothing."
The issue is that such a mentality doesn't appear to be in Cook's makeup: He's not a gambler or a risk-taker. Instead, the England captain is like a low-handicap senior golfer, who plays the percentages and ends up with the same result more often than not.
But for England to break out of their stale state, Cook must be prepared to risk shooting 80 to give himself a chance of firing a 65.
Naturally, Cook's reluctance to adopt such an approach has left the pressure solely on him as England eye a World Cup campaign preceded by series with Sri Lanka, Australia and India.
Seemingly backed with blind faith by the team's hierarchy, it is the captain who must drive the change that is needed in this team, given that no one else appears to be empowered to do it for him.
Of course, many would argue his mere place in the nation's ODI side—never mind the captaincy—isn't at all justified. And based on his 50-over form, it's hard not to think they're right.
But Cook has clearly been entrusted—probably against better judgement—with leading England through their immediate path and to the World Cup. Repaying that faith will only come from forcing a wave of evolution upon his side.
If he doesn't, the likely dire results will rest solely with him.
"He's been around the block a lot," Moores said of Cook this week, per ESPN Cricinfo. "He's been under pressure before and he's often responded to that pressure really well."
For the sake of his limited-overs career, his response in the coming months better be a good one.
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