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| Alastair Cook calls for ‘something to be done’ about Shane Warne | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Alastair Cook hopes that returning to Headingley, the scene of his last Test century 13 months and 22 innings ago, will mark a turning point in his fortunes this week. But in his media duties on the eve of the match, he could hardly have made a worse start. | Alastair Cook hopes that returning to Headingley, the scene of his last Test century 13 months and 22 innings ago, will mark a turning point in his fortunes this week. But in his media duties on the eve of the match, he could hardly have made a worse start. |
| Cook poured fuel on the fire, which was only just smouldering, when asked about a possible England involvement in the reporting of the bowling action of Sachithra Senanayake, the Sri Lankan off-spinner who will return to Cardiff for tests later this month. But it was in an astonishing response to the BBC’s Jonathan Agnew about persistent criticism of his captaincy, specifically from Shane Warne, that Cook most highlighted the alarming gulf between his foot-in-mouth tendencies and the smooth statesmanship of his predecessor Andrew Strauss. | Cook poured fuel on the fire, which was only just smouldering, when asked about a possible England involvement in the reporting of the bowling action of Sachithra Senanayake, the Sri Lankan off-spinner who will return to Cardiff for tests later this month. But it was in an astonishing response to the BBC’s Jonathan Agnew about persistent criticism of his captaincy, specifically from Shane Warne, that Cook most highlighted the alarming gulf between his foot-in-mouth tendencies and the smooth statesmanship of his predecessor Andrew Strauss. |
| “Something needs to be done, because for the three years of being England captain I have in my eyes been criticised for a hell of a lot of that,” he said. “Yes when you lose games of cricket you get criticised. But I’ve also won a lot of games of cricket for England, won more one-day games as an England captain, I won an Ashes, I won in India away, and that’s what I’m proud of as well. So to be criticised for three years totally with those results I find quite hard to take to be honest with you.” | “Something needs to be done, because for the three years of being England captain I have in my eyes been criticised for a hell of a lot of that,” he said. “Yes when you lose games of cricket you get criticised. But I’ve also won a lot of games of cricket for England, won more one-day games as an England captain, I won an Ashes, I won in India away, and that’s what I’m proud of as well. So to be criticised for three years totally with those results I find quite hard to take to be honest with you.” |
| Does he think Warne’s criticism was personal, he was asked by Agnew. “Yeah I think it is, yeah.” Warne will regard that as a bullseye. | |
| Perhaps that exchange explained Cook’s irritability in the press conference that followed, when he was asked about the possibility of consulting former England captains such as Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan, and even Warne, for captaincy advice. “I think we keep it in-house,” he said. As for giving Warne a call? “I haven’t really thought about it to be honest.” | Perhaps that exchange explained Cook’s irritability in the press conference that followed, when he was asked about the possibility of consulting former England captains such as Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan, and even Warne, for captaincy advice. “I think we keep it in-house,” he said. As for giving Warne a call? “I haven’t really thought about it to be honest.” |
| That was an understandable response given Warne’s obvious agenda as a confidant and occasional assistant of the Australia coach Darren Lehmann, and Cook’s unmissable attempt to captain more proactively at Lord’s, especially in Sri Lanka’s second innings. | That was an understandable response given Warne’s obvious agenda as a confidant and occasional assistant of the Australia coach Darren Lehmann, and Cook’s unmissable attempt to captain more proactively at Lord’s, especially in Sri Lanka’s second innings. |
| But his lack of tact when asked about Senanayake was toe curling. There have been mutterings from Sri Lanka, including from their captain Angelo Mathews, about a possible complaint from the England team, or officials of the England and Wales Cricket Board, in prompting the decision to report his action. Presumably that was not true, Cook was asked. | |
| “I don’t know within the ECB at all to be honest with that question,” he answered. “I think everyone saw his action and I think concerns were raised – you only had to watch TV and see that.” | “I don’t know within the ECB at all to be honest with that question,” he answered. “I think everyone saw his action and I think concerns were raised – you only had to watch TV and see that.” |
| Worse was to follow when Cook was asked whether the controversy might give him reservations about allowing England’s spinner Moeen Ali to bowl his doosra. “No, because you don’t have to bowl a doosra by throwing it.” | Worse was to follow when Cook was asked whether the controversy might give him reservations about allowing England’s spinner Moeen Ali to bowl his doosra. “No, because you don’t have to bowl a doosra by throwing it.” |
| Then a Sri Lankan journalist asked who had raised the concerns, to which Cook referred in his first answer. “Well, concerns were raised just by watching the TV,” he said. “We as players have no power to report anyone. It’s directly down to the umpires and the match referee. I know that for a fact. So we can’t say anything, it’s down to the ICC and the umpires on the day.” | Then a Sri Lankan journalist asked who had raised the concerns, to which Cook referred in his first answer. “Well, concerns were raised just by watching the TV,” he said. “We as players have no power to report anyone. It’s directly down to the umpires and the match referee. I know that for a fact. So we can’t say anything, it’s down to the ICC and the umpires on the day.” |
| Mathews was also asked about the Senanayake incident, but the team’s manager intervened, saying: “That’s in the past. Let’s talk about Leeds.” If only Cook had done the same. | Mathews was also asked about the Senanayake incident, but the team’s manager intervened, saying: “That’s in the past. Let’s talk about Leeds.” If only Cook had done the same. |
| He was on safer ground confirming that all four of England’s seamers are “good to go” after three days to recover from their Lord’s exertions, although Chris Woakes rejoined the squad in practice after taking eight wickets for Warwickshire at Northampton. | He was on safer ground confirming that all four of England’s seamers are “good to go” after three days to recover from their Lord’s exertions, although Chris Woakes rejoined the squad in practice after taking eight wickets for Warwickshire at Northampton. |
| Cook also conceded that lessons had been learned from the slow over-rate at Lord’s for which he was fined 20% of his match fee. | Cook also conceded that lessons had been learned from the slow over-rate at Lord’s for which he was fined 20% of his match fee. |
| Yorkshire have achieved their objective of selling more tickets than for the Test they staged last year, against New Zealand in late May when Cook scored 130, his 25th Test century, in the second innings, and Graeme Swann spun England to victory with 10 wickets in the match. The second day on Saturday will not be far short of Headingley’s 16,000 capacity, with more than 13,000 tickets already sold, and the total of 35,000 is 6,000 up on the total gate for that New Zealand match. | Yorkshire have achieved their objective of selling more tickets than for the Test they staged last year, against New Zealand in late May when Cook scored 130, his 25th Test century, in the second innings, and Graeme Swann spun England to victory with 10 wickets in the match. The second day on Saturday will not be far short of Headingley’s 16,000 capacity, with more than 13,000 tickets already sold, and the total of 35,000 is 6,000 up on the total gate for that New Zealand match. |
| But there will still be plenty of empty seats on Friday morning – or, to put it more positively, tickets available – and Yorkshire are hoping for a good walk-up on Sunday, with pre-sales of only 6,000. | But there will still be plenty of empty seats on Friday morning – or, to put it more positively, tickets available – and Yorkshire are hoping for a good walk-up on Sunday, with pre-sales of only 6,000. |