Root backs ‘brilliant’ Cook to continue as England captain
Lehmann looks to defuse Maxwell-Wade row
NEW DELHI, Dec 2, (Agencies): Batsman Joe Root has backed Alastair Cook to remain as England skipper, hailing him as a “brilliant leader” despite the team’s woes on their current tour of India.
Root, widely tipped to succeed Cook when the veteran skipper does make way, played down talk that he was ready to take the helm by telling reporters he was happy with his role in the team.
Cook’s future has been called into question after he admitted just before the tour that he could quit at the end of the five-Test series and that he was finding it hard to be apart from his family for long stretches.
After drawing the first Test, England suffered heavy defeats in the next two matches and must win their next contest in Mumbai to have any chance of saving the series.
But regardless of the outcome, Root played down the prospect of a change in leadership after the team return home in time for Christmas.
“I think he is pretty set on captaining for a few years to come and I hope he does because I think he is a brilliant leader and I’ve really enjoyed playing under him,” said Root, 25.
“I’m quite happy with the role I’m playing at the moment and you want to do what is right for England and the side.
“And genuinely, honestly, I think he is the right man. Hopefully, we get these results we want in the last two games and we can put right what has been quite a frustrating last couple of weeks.”
After becoming a father for a second time last month, the 31-year-old Cook admitted that he found the long England tours a wrench, while insisting he remained deeply proud of captaining his country.
The left-handed opener, who recently overtook Michael Atherton’s record of 54 Tests as England captain, no longer plays limited-overs cricket but has been a permanent fixture in the Test side for the last decade.
Despite his team’s stumbles in India, Cook’s own form has held up and he scored his 30th Test century in the opening match.
Root, who is himself averaging nearly 50 in India, acknowledged that Cook may be missing his family but insisted he was coping well and that other batsmen had to
In this file photo, England’s cricket team captain Alastair Cook listens to a question during a press conference ahead of their third Test match with India in Mohali, India on Nov 25,
2016. (AP)
step up to the plate.
“You could put a lot of blame on Cooky but actually it is the responsibility of the batters to make those big scores,” he said.
The fourth Test begins in Mumbai next Thursday ahead of the final match in Chennai which begins on Dec 16.
Meanwhile, Australia coach Darren Lehmann is to hold clear-the-air talks ahead of the one-day series against New Zealand after recalled all-rounder Glenn Maxwell criticised wicketkeeper Matt Wade.
Maxwell said on Thursday that he had been disappointed at some of the decisions by Wade, his captain in the Victoria state side, to bat ahead of him in matches this year.
“I think the wicketkeeper should be batting at seven unless you’re trying to squeeze an extra bowler into your lineup,” Maxwell said on Thursday.
When asked why Wade had batted ahead of him, Maxwell replied: “Because he’s captain, and he chooses the batting order.”
Lehmann said he would speak to power-hitting Maxwell to try and resolve the issue.
“Yeah, we will (speak about it),” Lehmann told reporters at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.
“Obviously disappointed but we’ll work through those issues. It’s difficult but again we’ll work through it behind the scenes. “We’re confident they can work together.”
Maxwell, who was dropped from the Australian team after failing to post any substantial scores in the previous 12 months, has said he would like to push for a recall to the test side for next year’s tour of India.
His batting, however, had not even made him an option for the just completed third test against South Africa, where Australia overhauled their side in an effort to shake them out of a slump, the coach said.
“(He) hasn’t made a hundred for two years,” Lehmann added.
“Are you going to pick a bloke who hasn’t made a hundred in two years?”
Victoria batsman Rob Quiney had some blunt advice for his team mate Maxwell. “I think he just needs to lip it and just make some runs,” Quiney told EON Sports radio on Friday.
Also: WELLINGTON, New Zealand:
New Zealand Cricket will follow Australia in allowing concussed players to be substituted in its domestic limited-overs competitions this season.
In October, batsman became the first player to be replaced under the Australian rule when he was struck on the head while batting in a one-day match against Victoria. Already this season, two batsmen have been concussed while batting in New Zealand domestic matches. Their injuries have prompted New Zealand Cricket to introduce the substitution rule in the local Twenty20 competition which begins on Sunday and the subsequent national one-day competition.