Ashes 2015: Test series looks a lost cause for England... whoever takes over as ECB director of cricket

Andrew Strauss is the latest favourite, but might be seen as too close to the present regime

Stephen Brenkley
Tuesday 05 May 2015 22:49 BST
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'Nothing less than Cook’s departure would show that Strauss was his own man'
'Nothing less than Cook’s departure would show that Strauss was his own man'

By the weekend, England may have a new director of cricket. By the middle of next week, they may also have a new coach and perhaps captain. By the end of the summer they will probably have failed to regain the Ashes, which will almost certainly lead to calls for the lot of them to be replaced.

Such is the febrile nature of the game at present that any turn of events seems possible. It is what happens when you draw a Test series with opponents that, whichever way it is looked at, should have been roundly defeated.

West Indies were always likely to be trickier customers than many supposed – the incoming chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board included – but defeated they should have been. England’s players have had time to dwell on that, sitting disconsolately by the pool in their Barbados hotel waiting for the flight to take them away from hell in paradise.

The specific duties of the director have not yet been defined – some of them will fit the job to the man, some the man to the job – but he will have no time to put his feet under the desk before he has to make some important judgements. If, as seems increasingly likely, this is Andrew Strauss, these will be viewed with particular scepticism.

Strauss has been the latest favourite for a few days now, in this game of suggesting any former captain as long as he doesn’t have too many punditry duties. He has admirable qualities, as he showed time and again as captain, and English cricket needs former cricketers of recent vintage to play a part in the running of the game.

The attractions of the commentary box may be greater than more money, less hassle but too many luminaries of the game have been lost to it in a direct way. Strauss’s appointment would be welcome for that alone (although wouldn’t it be exciting to find that the ECB had somebody else in mind all along).

Yorkshire’s Adam Lyth, in action in the West Indies, deserves to be Alastair Cook’s sixth opening partner (Getty)

The shortcomings are evident. Strauss might be seen as too close to the present regime. He opened the batting with Alastair Cook, his successor as captain in 2012, in 68 Test matches and in some eyes this makes their relationship instantly too cosy.

Nothing less than Cook’s departure would show that Strauss was his own man and that would also certainly mean the exit of Peter Moores as coach. It would be folly to underestimate Strauss, however. As captain, he was both ambassador and leader. He took over the team in dire circumstances, having twice wrongly been overlooked for the job, and went on to win two Ashes series, home and away. Under his leadership they became the top-ranked Test team in the world.

It is often commented how the legacy of the epic 2005 Ashes win had been wasted but times really never had been as good as they were around 2011. Two years before, England were a laughing stock after the imbroglio involving the feud between Kevin Pietersen and Moores in his first tenure as coach. Strauss may not find it without irony that they are again on the floor.

Whoever it is has to do one of two things quickly: decide that neither Moores nor Cook, or one or the other, should not take the team forward from here; or say lucidly and firmly why he thinks one or both should continue. Cook may be less vulnerable than Moores. However, after seeing off many of his detractors over the past year, Cook should not take this as a sense of entitlement.

The team are also in a state of somewhere approaching denial. They are nowhere near as good as they suppose they are, but the deeper concern is that they do not have the potential to be as good as they think they can be. Strauss, if it is he, may allow himself a rueful smile that he has to help the selectors (if there are still going to be selectors) find his long-term replacement as opening batsman.

Since Strauss’ retirement to a standing ovation at Lord’s three years ago, Cook has had five opening partners – Nick Compton, Joe Root, Michael Carberry, Sam Robson and Jonathan Trott. All combinations have ultimately failed, though it is worth noting that the first with Compton was terminated far too prematurely, with the pair averaging nearly 58 together.

Trott was the latest, wrong-headed gamble. He has now retired three Tests into an increasingly excruciating return, which was always a high risk. On the eve of this series, the sports psychologist, Steve Peters, issued a statement saying: “Specific circumstances were creating emotions in Jonathan Trott and this resulted in a situational anxiety. He has now resolved this and is in a good place psychologically.” Make of that what you will.

Adam Lyth, prolific for Yorkshire, deserves to be Cook’s sixth new partner and this will be confirmed when the team for the first Test against New Zealand is announced next week. But other issues need addressing quite as pertinently.

England are building a team but no sooner has a brick been put in the wall than another one cracks or falls out. It is a challenging time to be taking over as director of cricket. As long as he understands the Ashes are a pipe dream.

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