Caught Between Two Ideologies

As Joe Root begins a new chapter with England as captain, he faces a significant STRATEGIC DILEMMA.

- Freddie Wilde

In many respects the transition of England captaincy from Alastair Cook to Joe Root has been as smooth as the ECB could have ever hoped it would be. Few previous England captains have had the chance to step down on their own terms, as Cook has done; few have faced as little competition for the job, as Root has done; and few have inherited a dressing room seemingly as united, as Root has done. Beneath these pleasantries, however, there is a significant strategic dilemma facing England’s new captain.

One of the less salient factors in Cook’s resignation may well have been the growing sense of incongruity between his own philosophy and that of head coach Trevor Bayliss.

WHILE COOK’S CAPTAINCY, much like his batting, was defined largely by caution, that approach appeared increasingly at odds with Bayliss’ mantra of more aggression. It was a contrast that came to a head during England’s tour of India when on a number of occasions, most notably after the Mohali Test, Bayliss was critical of England’s defensive approach with the bat and extolled the virtues of meeting adversity with aggression. Cook’s tenure — for a number of reasons, most pertinently results — had run its course, but it would be wrong to dismiss the differences in style between Cook and Bayliss as irrelevant to its denouement. Had they been disciples of the same cricketing creed it is not impossible to imagine Cook being persuaded to fight on for another 12 months.