If Alastair Cook does not sort out his batting problems during the series against West Indies, the England captain’s test future looks rather bleak, former batsman Nasser Hussain said.
Cook, who has not scored a test century since May 2013 when he notched up 130 against New Zealand at Headingley, was out for 13 in England’s second innings against the West Indies in Antigua after scoring 11 in the first.
The 30-year-old was axed as one-day captain ahead of this year’s World Cup because of his poor form and having now gone 33 test innings without a century, his place in the side is under scrutiny once again.
“His technique is all over the place at the moment,” former England captain Hussain told Sky Sports.
“He has got a couple of games to try and turn it around and not just get a few runs, get a stack-load.”
West Indies’ fast bowler Jerome Taylor again exploited Cook’s inability to deal with the full ball outside off-stump as the England captain wafted at a shot and was caught by Sulieman Benn in the second innings.
England’s former Ashes-winning captain Michael Vaughan believes Cook’s movement at the crease has improved but said the Essex batsman must address his problems outside off-stump.
“He has always been vulnerable on the front foot but his mentality has been strong enough to carry him through,” Vaughan said in the Telegraph.
“His alignment is better and his head position on release has improved a lot. But teams will continue to try to get him to drive at a fourth stump outside off and in Jerome Taylor, West Indies have a class act when he gets it right.”
Cook’s opening partner, Jonathan Trott, making his England return for the first time since leaving the Ashes tour in 2013 due to depression issues, has struggled with the bat on his international return.
The 33-year-old was out for a three-ball duck on Monday and could only make four runs in his second innings on Wednesday before edging a Taylor delivery to Denesh Ramdin.
