Captaincy resignation looms large in Alastair Cook's impending meeting with Andrew Strauss

What’s the story

Alastair Cook, the current England captain in Tests, is expected to hand over the reins to Joe Root when he next meets Andrew Strauss, former England captain and the current Director of Cricket at the ECB.

Reports in The Telegraph have stated that Joe Root, who currently handles the vice-captain’s role, will be given the captain’s band after Cook endured a torrid 4-0 drubbing at the hands of India in the five-match Test series in November-December last year.

In case you didn’t know…

Cook took over the captaincy from Andrew Strauss in 2012, and has been the Test skipper ever since. He took the team to memorable wins against India (2012-13 and 2014), Australia (2013 and 2015) and South Africa (2015-16).

However, ever since leading his side to a 2-2 draw against Pakistan last year, Cook hasn’t looked the part, seeming burdened with the role he has held throughout this decade. The 4-0 humiliation in India turned out to be the final nail in his coffin.

The heart of the matter

Cook captained the England side in 59 Tests, winning 24 of them, losing 22 and drawing 13 matches. However, the uncertainty over his future at the helm of the team becomes more uncertain after Cook’s uninspired captaincy led to the Indian batsmen

The meeting with Strauss will surely decide whether Cook wants to continue in the captaincy role or revert to playing just as a batsman in the line-up. Cook has had plans of hatching a revenge for the 5-0 whitewash against Australia in the Ashes scheduled to be held next year, but a talk with Strauss will clear doubts, more so because the team has succumbed to six losses in the last eight Tests.

What’s next

The English team doesn’t play a Test until July, which gives the Cook-Strauss combination enough time to chart out a course of action for the future of English cricket. If Strauss believes that the time is ripe to blood Joe Root in the captaincy’s role, he’ll have to push the pedal and ask Cook to step down, although Trevor Bayliss, the coach, had openly stated that he would be more than happy if Cook continues.

Sportskeeda’s take

Although Cook has had a more than decent run wearing the captain’s cap, the time now seems perfect for Joe Root to step in and build the current team for future titles. On the wrong side of 30, Cook can’t continue in the role forever, and with the next Test as many as seven months away, it’ll be detrimental for the benefits of the team to harp on a decision for that long.