Alastair Cook has done all the right things in preparation for his first full series as England captain
Andrew Miller in Dhaka27-Feb-2010Alastair Cook has done all the right things in preparation for hisfirst full series as England captain. He’s been in the runs with twohalf-centuries in the warm-ups in Fatullah, and he’s captained theside to a pair of trouble-free victories. At Mirpur on Sunday, he willlead them out for the first time in a 50-over contest, fully aware ofthe pitfalls that await against a Bangladesh side that know, justoccasionally, how to put together a matchwinning performance.Cook’s only previous experience of the England captaincy was achastening one – he took over the role at short notice in South Africain November, when Paul Collingwood pulled out of the second Twenty20at Centurion, and was left gesturing with the futility of a Dhakatraffic cop as Loots Bosman and Graeme Smith powered their side to anincredible total of 241 for 6.Three months down the line, however, and this time Cook is ready forthe challenge that awaits. Despite not having played in an ODI sinceNovember 2008, he looked, on the eve of the series, like a man who wasgrowing in authority – even if, as Stuart Broad pointed out, he hasyet to vacate his seat among the lads at the back of the team bus.”It’s a hugely proud moment for me,” said Cook. “I’m nervous andexcited. It’s a challenge, but the night before the first warm-up Iwas really nervous. Once I got through that game I felt far moresettled in terms of being comfortable in field positions, and littlethings. That game was the start of my captaincy proper in terms ofordering the lads around and making the decisions. In an internationalgame there’s obviously more pressure, but a week into it I feel morecomfortable.”The Twenty20 game [in South Africa] I only found out I’d captainthree hours before the game with Colly pulling up with his back,” herecalled. “It was very chaotic that whole day and the lads were justtrying to help. Now I feel more comfortable in the role and they feelmore comfortable in me. These things take time. It was a mad day and amad game, and it does not help that we got panned.Cook’s personal excitement ought to go a long way towards squashingany tendency towards complacency that might otherwise have set inagainst their unfancied opponents. “Anyone can beat anyone on any day,but if we turn up just thinking we are going to win, then we are goingto come very much unstuck. We’ve got to respect them – we arerespecting them, because they are an excellent side – and we’ve got toplay better cricket than them.””The biggest lesson from this week is definitely sticking to yourinstincts,” he added. “You’re only judged on the decisions you make.You’re only judged on the right or wrong ones. You’ll never knowbecause hindsight is the easiest place to captain. You never quiteknow the right answer, but the only way you can find out is byresults.Though the chance to lead the side in Fatullah was important in takingthe edge off Cook’s nerves ahead of Sunday’s match, perhaps the mostimportant aspect of the build-up period has been the chance to tightenthat all-important captain-coach bond with Andy Flower. And, havingplayed alongside each other during Cook’s early days as a professionalat Essex, the pair have had a head-start in that regard.”I’ve known Andy since I was 18, I’ve grown up all my playing dayswith him and when I came into the England team he was assistantcoach,” he said. “He’s fantastic, a true thinker of the game and it’sa pleasure to work with him. We’re making strides on building thatrelationship as captain and coach, these things do take time andhopefully we will get the chance to work more on that and improve aswe go on.”Although Cook was not able to take a proper look at the wicket untilEngland practiced under the floodlights later in the evening, thereseems little doubt about what they can expect. Bangladesh’s coach,Jamie Siddons, stressed that his team play at their best in their ownconditions, which means that the Dhaka track is likely to be somethingof a pancake.”I imagine it will be a very typical subcontinent wicket,” said Cook.”It will be slow, I imagine it might turn a little bit, but I’m notsure it will change too much in 100 overs. It will be a fair wicketwith something in it for the batters to start with, but with thebowlers coming into it when the ball goes soft. Obviously Bangladeshconditions are totally different to what we are used to at home, butwe spent this last week getting used to that, both here and in Dubai,and hopefully we can go out and play some good cricket.”Craig Kieswetter will make his international debut on Sunday•Getty Images
Either way, England will have to be on their guard, particularlyagainst a sizeable Bangladeshi spin contingent lead, of course, by thecaptain, Shakib Al Hasan, who is currently rated as one of the leadingallrounders in the world. He will doubtless pose a challenge to thedebutant Craig Kieswetter, who is certain to open alongside Cook, andit is highly likely that Matt Prior will also feature, although itremains to be seen which of the two will be asked to keep wicket.”There’s a possibility of playing two wicketkeepers,” said Cook.”Kiesy’s come in and that Twenty20 [against the Lions] made everyonestand up and take notice. To come in on his England debut and playwith so much composure and not seem fazed. The way he went about it,not the runs he scored, has impressed a lot of us. He will be openingthe batting. He deserves that with the runs he’s got. I’ve been veryimpressed with him.”Prior’s retention means no place for Jonathan Trott, whose stock hasplummeted since he became an instant England hero with his debutcentury against Australia at The Oval back in August. A tailing-off ofform in South Africa was couple with an unexpectedly anxious demeanourat the crease, but Cook was sure that he’d come back stronger for theexperience.”Trotty’s a tough character and he proved that in the Australiaseries,” Cook said. “He started really well at the start of the SouthAfrica tour before fading. That was his first international tour as anEngland player and it was a long and tough one too. It’s a differentangle playing three months on tour to county cricket. The things helearnt from South Africa will help in good stead – in terms ofmanaging intensity as a player, to prolong himself for three months.”Cook himself is coming back into the limited-overs set-up after aspell on the sidelines, but he believes he is a much more completeplayer than the slightly one-dimensional character who was last seenin coloured clothing. Extensive work with Graham Gooch at the end ofthe English summer resulted in a tweaked technique, and Cook himselfcredits the domestic Twenty20 Cup for coaxing him out of his shell.”I’m desperate to show to people I can play one-day cricket,” he said.”Last summer when I played Twenty20 cricket for Essex it really helpedand in that form you just express yourself. You don’t have time tothink about failure, and you just go out and belt it. I was playingshots I didn’t think I could play and for three weeks I suddenlythought: ‘I can!’ When I went back to Essex after the Ashes, I scoredtwo hundreds, and it’s amazing what confidence does.”Such sentiments might apply equally to England’s opponents, whobelieve that the gulf between the sides is narrower than at any timein their previous eight ODI meetings. “They are a full internationalside and we’ve got to respect that,” said Cook. “They’ve got someexcellent players without a doubt, but it’s up to us as the Englishside to play better cricket than them.”We’ve improved as players of spin, and we’ve played against the bestin the world and done well. Obviously it’s going to be tough here,Bangladesh have some excellent spinners, but we as players, asbatters, we have to score the runs against them.”