‘Began questioning my leadership’
MUMBAI: Former England skipper Alastair Cook has revealed that his decision to step down as captain first occurred to him during Pakistan’s tour of England and Ireland last year.
Cook, who is England’s mostcapped and successful Test captain with 24 victories and 13 draws in 59 Tests, quit in February after the 4-0 loss in India.
“I started questioning myself on certain decisions, not just tactically on the pitch, but with leadership in general,” Cook was quoted as saying by the British media. “It was when we had a break in Dubai between the third and fourth Tests in India that I came back to that question. Sometimes getting away and being outside the team bubble can help. Our hotel was out in the sticks. We didn’t see any of the guys. When I came back, it was quite clear in my mind.”
Before that tour against India, Cook had led England against Bangladesh and Pakistan. While they were held 2-2 by Pakistan at home, drawing against Bangladesh earned him severe criticism.
Cook stated that introspection more than the results helped him come to the conclusion. “The question that I kept coming back to was, ‘Am I leading the team forward?’ After doing it for quite a long time, the stuff you say, because of who you are, you end up saying the same stuff in a slightly different way,” Cook added. “I started questioning what was going to happen over the next few years. The dream of captaining the team to Australia was certainly there, and in my mind I thought that it would have been a nice way to finish the captaincy.”
The 32-year-old added that his decision also made him realise that he could contribute with the bat instead. “Because I’m no longer the captain, I have to accept that I am now in the latter stages of my career, however long that may be. I’m motivated by the idea of producing match-defining performances. And you’d hope that at 32, you’re a better player than when you started. It would be nice to have a couple of gun years.”
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