Alastair Cook: No ‘quick-fix’ to England’s woes

Cook believes first and foremost, they have to focus on appointing the new coach.

London: Apr 2, 2014

England Test captain Alastair Cook has warned his side that there is no “quick fix” solution for them after their disastrous winter, which was finally capped by a humiliating ICC World T20 2014 campaign.

Cook’s England was whitewashed 5-0 in the Ashes 2013-14, had a lacklustre West Indies tour and finally fell to a humiliating thrashing by the Netherlands, which saw them off from Bangladesh.

According to the Mirror, Cook, who flew home as a national hero in 2010-11 after contributing 766 runs to England’s 3-1 triumph, picked over the carcass of their dreadful winter and warned that there is no “quick fix” for their woes, especially given Kevin Pietersen’s sacking and Graeme Swann’s retirement.

Stating that they did not produce anywhere near the standards required in their tough winter, Cook also said that they lost the core of the side in their coach Andy Flower and some very good senior players, adding that they cannot hide behind the five years of success they had enjoyed in the past.

The captain also rued that they do not know  best XI anymore although he still believes the Ashes can be recaptured next year and cited Australia’s example, who were 2-0 down after two Tests in England last summer, although they bounced back very quickly in Australia.

Cook believes that first and foremost, they have to focus on appointing the new coach, putting everything in place, although he added that they cannot guarantee great results straight away as they need to get their standards and skills back to where they were and earn the right to win games again.