Cricket: Cook sanguine on captains' curse

Alastair Cook. Photo / AP

Seventy-nine men have been captain of the England cricket team. Of the 31 who are still alive most appear to have had something uncomplimentary to say about Alastair Cook's leadership in the past few days. By all accounts the other 48 have been turning in their graves.

Cook, like any other poor sap who takes the job, will never be short of advice from illustrious predecessors. There are at least nine in Sydney at present, seven of them in media roles.

The gathering on the pitch before any test match could be mistaken for a former captains' convention.

Every time Cook changes his field (or does not change it) or brings someone on to bowl (or does not bring someone on to bowl) there is some former captain who would have done it differently.

When a side are losing an Ashes series 4-0 and playing with the gumption of George Formby, everyone would have done it differently.

Cook is aware he might not have got everything right in this series.

"I do need to continually look to improve, without a doubt," he said yesterday after England finished a training session at the SCG.

"There are always people outside with different ideas as to what we should be doing, but you only have to look at the other side. Michael Clarke was getting a lot of stick when Australia were losing 4-0 in India, with people saying he wasn't a good captain, but suddenly he's winning games of cricket and he's the world's best captain. So that's the world we live in and we appreciate that."

Cook captains an England side through which revolution is about to sweep. It seems as many as three debutants could play in the fifth and final test, starting at the SCG today.

Durham leg-spinner Scott Borthwick is almost certain to play, because of Monty Panesar's calf strain.

Gary Ballance, the Zimbabwe-born Yorkshire batsman, is also highly likely to play, though whom he replaces is open to conjecture.

Michael Carberry may make way, with Joe Root resuming his openers role (he will then have batted at three positions in the series) and Ian Bell moving to three at long last.

Boyd Rankin, the giant Irish pace bowler, could be given an opportunity in place of Tim Bresnan.

Borthwick, 23, would be the biggest gamble. Australia, as their vice-captain Brad Haddin indicated almost with a sneer yesterday, will come out slugging against him. The potential damage inflicted may be greater than the prospective rewards.

But Borthwick, who has been playing grade cricket for Northern Districts in Sydney, has been blessed by the retired Graeme Swann as his successor and looked completely at ease yesterday answering questions about what might be to come. It is just that Australia's batsmen might be asking harder ones.

- Independent