Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
COOK WILL ADD SPICE
Ex-skipper refusing to hold back as a pundit as cricket returns to Beeb for the first time in more than 20 years
Match Special on the radio, like at Headingley last summer, when he voices his thoughts, even if they are critical of his former teammates, to whom he remains close.
“I’d have loved to see Ollie Pope bat at four,” said Cook of the decision to leave Pope at six and play Zak
Crawley and Joe
Denly at three and four respectively.
“I’d like to have seen a youngster come in at six, either a James
Bracey or a Dan Lawrence, but I can see why they have made this call for those guys to battle it out until Joe Root comes back.
“Successful sides are built on competition for places. When you are playing for your place, the people who come through that and deliver the goods, you know that when the pressure is on in a game, they will come through for you as well.”
It is that experience and insight as England’s longestserving Test captain, and a man who 33 times raised his bat to celebrate a three-figure score, that Guha will be hoping to tease out of Cook, although he might not be quite as slick and accomplished a talker as Vaughan, who is happiest when the cameras are on.
Carlos Brathwaite - remember the name? - will provide the West Indian angle for a series for which the BBC have whetted appetites with matches from yesteryear in the build-up.
And the response to Guha (above) as the first female lead cricket presenter for the network is largely positive.
“It’s been good,” said the 35-year-old with 113 England caps of her own. “Doing the archive shows revived so many memories and that Dominic Cork hat-trick in particular in 1995 I remember so clearly.
“Growing up I wanted to be Darren Gough or Dominic Cork and got the chance to play for England which I’m hugely proud of, but now it’s about creating new memories for the next generation of fans and budding cricketers.
“We’ve a great team that can work well together and I’m looking forward to guiding that and telling a story through the action.
“The fact it’s back on the BBC for the first time in more than 20 years is huge and I recognise how significant that is.”
Cook played his entire England career behind Sky’s paywall, and he is grateful for their support, but now he is keen to use the BBC’S reach to build on last year’s World Cup win.
“There could be a lot of people watching this, so I’m just hoping to do a good job and come across well,” he added. “This is a great chance for Sky and the BBC to promote th e gam e together.”