Alastair Cook Must Quit or Take a Break, Says Shane Warne
Alastair Cook has come under attack from various quarters due to his poor run as England cricket team captain since the Ashes humiliation.
Shane Warne has launched another scathing attack on England cricket team captain, Alastair Cook. Warne has criticized Cook in the last 12 months but this time, the former Australian spin-king has gone to the extent of telling Cook to either quit or take a break from international cricket. (Read: England coach Peter Moores won't take captaincy off Alastair Cook)
Cook has been offended by Warne's attack. He has even called the criticism "personal." In the wake of England's Test defeat against Sri Lanka at home, Cook bashing has only become stronger.
Writing in his column for the Telegraph in London, Warne said: "There are three ways to go with Alastair 'Cooked' Cook.
Everyone sticks their head in the sand and just allows things to keep going as is and hope he finds form with the bat and by a miracle discovers some tactical brains from somewhere. Two: he steps down from the captaincy to concentrate on his batting. Three: the most radical of all, he has a complete break away from the game.
"Lots of people, including me, think it is time for him to step down as captain. The most disappointing thing for me is that he has not learned or improved after a horrible 5-0 drumming in Australia, in fact he has got worse.
"He is not thinking straight. He is not there. He is confused. He does not know what to do and because he is in a rut with his form it makes life a lot worse. You just cannot captain a team in transition in that frame of mind."
England crashed to a 100-run defeat to the Sri Lankans at Headingley on Tuesday to lose the two-Test series after the tourists escaped with a draw in the opening match at Lord's.
Sri Lanka turned the Leeds Test their way after Angelo Mathews scored a brilliant 160 to build his side's lead to 350 before Lankan bowlers reduced Cook's men to 5-57 at stumps.
"On Monday at Headingley, I witnessed the worst day of captaincy I have ever seen at international level in almost 25 years in the game. It was horrific, and I am not the only one singing that tune," said Warne, who is the second highest Test wicket-taker of all time with 708 scalps.
"He just does not get it. Everyone watching could see the game needed a change of pace; bowl the spinner or make the seamers try and actually get Angelo Mathews out.
"You just cannot bowl the same stuff over after over like he did - good captains try things and are proactive, not hopeful."
Warne also refuted Cook's suggestions that his negative comments were a personal attack as a means to undermine the 29-year-old's authority.