Published: Nov 17, 2014, 11:32 PM (IST)
Edited: Nov 19, 2014, 05:27 AM (IST)
Nov 17, 2014
Andrew Strauss, the former England captain, has said that Alastair Cook’s side is “fearful” and that has been the problem for them in One-Day Internationals (ODIs). As England depart for the seven-match ODI series in Sri Lanka, there has been a lot of talk about England’s setup in the format. Alastair Cook and other players have been criticised as the team hasn’t performed in ODIs during the English summer. England begin their buildup for the ICC World Cup 2015 with this tour to Sri Lanka.
Speaking to BBC, Strauss said, “I think the England players, even throughout my time, have played too fearfully. They’ve been far too fearful of getting out. And you can’t make 400 if you’ve got that kind of attitude. I would argue it’s not the strategy that is wrong; it’s that players haven’t actually played well enough. And it’s very hard to score 400 in a ODIs if you’re not confident”
England will now play a seven-match ODI series in Sri Lanka, with the first game being on November 26. “But they’ve got to find a way of winning that series in Sri Lanka to get some confidence. Ultimately in our one-day cricket we haven’t played well for 12 months or so and they need to reconnect with winning ways prior to arriving on Australian soil. The real danger of this is they’re playing against three very good one-day sides, and if they don’t get on a bit of a roll and start winning then confidence could be eroded rather than enhanced before the World Cup,” said Strauss.
England go on to play a tri-series Down Under just before the ICC World Cup 2015. That series will feature India and Australia. India had beaten England in the ODI series during the English summer and Australia had trounced them during their tour last year. There has been a clamour for Cook’s axing from the ODI squad as there is a belief that he doesn’t fit the bill in ODIs.
Complete coverage of England’s tour to Sri Lanka 2014
