One way or another, what must feel like the longest summer of Alastair Cook’s career will draw to a merciful close at Headingley this evening.
Whether England conclude the Royal London one-day series with a consolation victory over India, adding a figleaf of respectability to the series scoreline, or the slide to a 4-0 defeat is completed, the England captain might find himself breathing a sigh of relief as he packs his kit away for the final time this season.
Resilience has become the defining quality of Cook’s leadership, characterised by England’s recovery to win the Test series 3-1, but the scrutiny on his captaincy and his batting this summer has been relentless. England will have one more engagement against India, the Twenty20 international at Edgbaston on Sunday, but Cook will not play international cricket again until at least November 26, the first game of a seven-match one-day series in Sri Lanka.
Peter Moores, the head coach, could be seen in protracted conversation with Paul Downton, the managing director of England cricket, near the dressing rooms at Headingley yesterday. There is much to be discussed at the end of a series in which England have been outplayed, their approach made to look anachronistic, ominously close to the World Cup that begins in Australia and New Zealand in February.
Not the least of the discussion topics for Moores and Downton is whether Cook should lead England’s one-day side to Sri Lanka, the doubts about his suitability as a one-day opener having resurfaced. He has not been alone in struggling during the present series, as England’s totals of 161, 227 and 206 attest, but Cook’s role as the traditional opening batsman has become the focal point of a batting line-up lacking the firepower exhibited by their opponents.
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The captain himself, of course, has remained adamant that he wants to lead England in the World Cup and will hope to contribute fully to a palliative victory today. Moeen Ali, who hit the home side’s only half-century of the series so far in the nine-wicket defeat at Edgbaston on Tuesday, confirmed yesterday that England’s players remain squarely behind their captain. “He has all our backing,” Ali said.
Some of Cook’s most painful memories of the summer come from Headingley, when England let a winning position slip in the second Test against Sri Lanka. The game today, due to be played in front of a full house, may be meaningless in the context of the series, but there remains plenty of interest for England’s underperforming players and few can afford to look as far ahead as the World Cup. “A lot of players are still playing for places for Sri Lanka,” Ali said.
Ali is likely to bat higher in the order today, having made his 67 at Edgbaston from No 7, while England must decide whether to recall James Tredwell.
India have no such worries. During their nets at Headingley yesterday, a consignment of brown paper takeaway bags from McDonald’s was delivered to the middle. Their slump to defeat in the Test series might have raised further questions about their enduring appetite for the longer form of the game, but a return to convenience cricket has proved much more to their taste.
How they line up
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England (possible): A N Cook (captain), A D Hales, G S Ballance, J E Root, E J G Morgan, J C Buttler, M M Ali, C R Woakes, C J Jordan, S T Finn, J M Anderson.
India (possible): M S Dhoni (captain), A M Rahane, S Dhawan, V Kohli, A T Rayudu, S K Raina, R A Jadeja, R Ashwin, B Kumar, D S Kulkarni, M Sharma.
Umpires: P Reiffel (Australia) and R Kettleborough.
Third umpire: M Gough.
Match referee: R Madugalle (Sri Lanka).
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