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| Alastair Cook to stay as England captain but Matt Prior takes break | Alastair Cook to stay as England captain but Matt Prior takes break |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Alastair Cook has now suffered seven defeats in nine Tests as England’s captain and also lost another of his key lieutenants when Matt Prior announced after the humiliation against India here that he was taking an indefinite break from the game. But in contrast to Steven Gerrard, Cook is determined to carry on. | |
| Cook watched helpless from the balcony of the pavilion as a succession of England batsmen succumbed to short balls from Ishant Sharma either side of lunch, with Prior the most culpable, to hand India their first away Test win for more than three years and only their second at Lord’s. | Cook watched helpless from the balcony of the pavilion as a succession of England batsmen succumbed to short balls from Ishant Sharma either side of lunch, with Prior the most culpable, to hand India their first away Test win for more than three years and only their second at Lord’s. |
| That prompted Andrew Strauss, Cook’s predecessor and a staunch ally, to wonder aloud for the first time if the captain “might think he’s had enough”. Cook rejected that suggestion within minutes, although he wavered slightly on a previous insistence that he will never resign and conceded that he cannot afford much more personal or collective failure before the decision is taken out of his hands. | |
| “I’m desperate to carry on,” Cook said. “There might be a time when I’m not desperate to carry on but now I want to be at the front when we’re winning. I still want to throw it all in [and] to be captain of England. Until that bloke taps you on the shoulder, I want to carry on.” | |
| Cook said he had not spoken to the national selector, James Whitaker, or the managing director of England cricket, Paul Downton, since the start of the Test but there seems little chance of either tapping him on the shoulder after Tuesday morning’s meeting to decide what changes to make for the third Test, which starts in Southampton on Sunday. | Cook said he had not spoken to the national selector, James Whitaker, or the managing director of England cricket, Paul Downton, since the start of the Test but there seems little chance of either tapping him on the shoulder after Tuesday morning’s meeting to decide what changes to make for the third Test, which starts in Southampton on Sunday. |
| Cook, however, has conceded that all the senior players who have so far failed to deliver this summer are under growing pressure. Although he gave a glowing endorsement of Prior’s contribution to the team, the veteran wicketkeeper has announced that he is to step aside for the rest of the series against India because of fitness issues. | Cook, however, has conceded that all the senior players who have so far failed to deliver this summer are under growing pressure. Although he gave a glowing endorsement of Prior’s contribution to the team, the veteran wicketkeeper has announced that he is to step aside for the rest of the series against India because of fitness issues. |
| Prior, who has played 79 Tests, struggled with an achilles problem in the early part of the summer and has also suffered thigh and hand injuries that he accepts have impeded his performances behind the stumps. His former agent, Alec Stewart, suggested at the weekend the 32-year-old should have surgery now in an effort to prolong his career. | |
| “The decision I’ve made is that I’m unavailable for the rest of this series due to my fitness,” he said. “I’m not retiring or anything like that – I would still love to play for England and I still know what I can offer England – but right now I’m not physically able to be at the level I need to be in order to perform at my level. I’m not doing justice to myself and more importantly the team and that is what matters first and foremost.” | “The decision I’ve made is that I’m unavailable for the rest of this series due to my fitness,” he said. “I’m not retiring or anything like that – I would still love to play for England and I still know what I can offer England – but right now I’m not physically able to be at the level I need to be in order to perform at my level. I’m not doing justice to myself and more importantly the team and that is what matters first and foremost.” |
| He expects to have an achilles operation and knows the potential implications of standing aside. Jos Buttler is set to replace him. “It is a huge decision and not one I’ve taken lightly obviously,” Prior said. “I could have played my last game.” | He expects to have an achilles operation and knows the potential implications of standing aside. Jos Buttler is set to replace him. “It is a huge decision and not one I’ve taken lightly obviously,” Prior said. “I could have played my last game.” |
| Cook, reflecting on his own future, said: “I haven’t had any tougher times in my career than at the moment. But I don’t think walking away from it would be the way to go. I’ll stay until my position becomes untenable. If I’m not scoring runs by the end of the series and we’re losing more games, then it becomes tougher and tougher, doesn’t it? I’m clearly maybe not the man to turn it round. | Cook, reflecting on his own future, said: “I haven’t had any tougher times in my career than at the moment. But I don’t think walking away from it would be the way to go. I’ll stay until my position becomes untenable. If I’m not scoring runs by the end of the series and we’re losing more games, then it becomes tougher and tougher, doesn’t it? I’m clearly maybe not the man to turn it round. |
| “Maybe things can change very quickly, who knows? Things can change the other way. If we win and I score runs, things do change. When I was made England captain I said to my wife that I was going to give it my all. If it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be but I want to be proud of the way I have gone about it. | “Maybe things can change very quickly, who knows? Things can change the other way. If we win and I score runs, things do change. When I was made England captain I said to my wife that I was going to give it my all. If it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be but I want to be proud of the way I have gone about it. |
| “Everyone has doubts. It would be only natural when you’re on your own or away from it but it makes me more determined. I would just love to win this series. How much satisfaction that would be from the dark times. | |
| “A tough loss in good conditions for us does keep making it harder, and not scoring the runs as well. It is getting tougher and tougher. Until I start scoring runs and the results change it’s tough. I’m not going to say I’m waking up every morning saying it’s the best I’ve felt in my cricketing career. But if and when we turn this around, and get 11 people playing close to their potential and we win a game of cricket, coming through the tough times will make it feel a lot better.” | “A tough loss in good conditions for us does keep making it harder, and not scoring the runs as well. It is getting tougher and tougher. Until I start scoring runs and the results change it’s tough. I’m not going to say I’m waking up every morning saying it’s the best I’ve felt in my cricketing career. But if and when we turn this around, and get 11 people playing close to their potential and we win a game of cricket, coming through the tough times will make it feel a lot better.” |
| He invoked the example of his first series as captain, in India in 2012-13, when he led from the front as England overturned a 1-0 series deficit to secure a famous victory, adding: “If I’m not good enough at the end of the summer, then so be it but I’m trying my heart out to do this and I need to score runs and need to start winning but I’m here as long as I’m wanted.” | He invoked the example of his first series as captain, in India in 2012-13, when he led from the front as England overturned a 1-0 series deficit to secure a famous victory, adding: “If I’m not good enough at the end of the summer, then so be it but I’m trying my heart out to do this and I need to score runs and need to start winning but I’m here as long as I’m wanted.” |