The ECB appointed Alastair Cook as captain of England's
one-day team on Thursday, giving it a different player in charge for each of
the game's three formats.
England already had a separate captain for the Twenty20
side, but 26-year-old opener Cook is taking over the 50-over team after Test
captain Andrew Strauss relinquished control.
Strauss, who has quit limited-overs cricket, retains the
test captaincy after stating a desire to focus on the elite form of the game.
The ECB dropped veteran all-rounder Paul Collingwood as Twenty20 captain in
favor of pace bowler Stuart Broad.
“It's never been tried before so we're quite excited about
the opportunity this provides us,” team director Andy Flower said. “I don't
think any side has had three separate captains so it's covering new ground. We
do not know 100 percent if it will work or if it will be the most effective
system but we will give it a try.
“This could be the most effective use of our resources.”
Strauss said that the amount of cricket now played - with lengthy one-day
series now customary alongside test matches and Twenty20 increasingly popular —
was one of the reasons for the decision to pick multiple captains.
“The thing I'm most excited about with the structure is that
it gives each captain the opportunity to come in and add their drive and verve,”
Strauss said.
Strauss was arguably England's best batsman at the World Cup
and hit a career-best 158 in the tied group match against eventual champion
India.
But fatigue after the Ashes and a seven-match one-day series
against Australia was cited as a reason for England's disappointing
performance, and the ECB wants to avoid a repeat by splitting responsibility
and reducing the number of matches for key players.
“The end of the World Cup was a watershed for all teams, not
just England, and it is time to refresh, regenerate and move forward,” Strauss
said. “In my mind, me starting the process toward the next World Cup and not
seeing it through was not in the best interests of the team.” Having led
England to consecutive Ashes victories, Strauss said he was as committed as
ever to the test team.
“I still have a huge amount of drive and determination to
take the test team forward,” Strauss said.
Flower said there had been a formal interview process for
players interested in the captaincy roles, with star batsman Kevin Pietersen
among those passed over. Pietersen was stripped of the Test captaincy in 2009
over a fallout with then coach Peter Moores.
“There was a rigorous interview process and we're very
comfortable with the decision we made,” Flower said.
Strauss averaged 47.71 at a strike rate of 93.55 in
England's seven matches at this year's World Cup, where England reached the
quarterfinals despite embarrassing defeats to Ireland and Bangladesh.
But Cook has long been discussed as a future Test captain
and now has the chance to gain experience before taking over the test side from
the 34-year-old Strauss.
England's key batsman in the recent Ashes win in Australia
with 766 runs in seven innings, Cook led England on tour in Bangladesh last
year, his only three ODI matches since 2008. He was omitted from the one-day
World Cup squad largely because his one-day scoring rate of 71.38 and average
of 33 were not perceived as being strong enough.
“I believe I can play an integral role with the bat as well
as captain,” Cook said. “I've worked hard on my limited-overs cricket in recent
times. I've never seen myself as a test batsman exclusively and I know I have a
lot to offer strategically and as a top order batsman in one-day cricket.”
England hosts three tests against Sri Lanka before Cook takes charge for the
first of five one-day internationals against the same opponent on June 28 at
The Oval.
India also plays five one-day matches in September after a
test series.
The 24-year-old Broad has only a single Twenty20 match
against each touring side this summer. He could still call upon Collingwood,
who led England's Twenty20 side on 30 occasions and guided the team to the
World Twenty20 title in the Caribbean last year.
Flower acknowledged that Collingwood, who retired from Test
cricket after the Ashes, was disappointed to lose the role but will still be
available to play international limited-overs cricket.
“It's been a privilege to captain my country and I will look
back fondly on my time as Twenty20 skipper,” Collingwood said. “The highlight
of my time as captain is clearly last year's World Twenty20 title but there
have been many achievements to be proud of.”
