Alastair Cook and Stuart Broad were appointed as the new captains of England’s One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 teams respectively.
Andrew Strauss, who has retired from ODI cricket, remains Test captain meaning England now have separate captains for all three international formats. While Cook, Strauss’ opening partner in Tests, was not even a member of the England side at the recent World Cup in the subcontinent, Broad replaced all-rounder Paul Collingwood as the Twenty20 captain.
Strauss, who led England to the World Cup quarter-finals, said, “I’ve enjoyed leading the England ODI team immensely and I’m extremely proud of the strides we’ve made in limited-overs cricket over the past two years.
“We still have a long way to go and I feel now is the right time for me to step aside and ensure someone else takes up that challenge.”
This will be the first time England have had captains for all three forms of international cricket and coach Andy Flower admitted the new set-up was potentially risky.
“We are covering new ground,” said Flower. “We do not know 100 per cent whether it will work or be an effective and efficient system, but we are going to give it a try.”
Cook, who has made just three ODI appearances in the past two-and-a-half years, said, “Strauss has led the team to continued success over the past two years and I’ll be looking to continue that progress.”
Meanwhile, fast-bowling all-rounder Broad will make his debut as Twenty20 captain when he leads the World champions against Sri Lanka in Bristol on June 25.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 6th, 2011.
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