Who captains England in the Ashes next year?

So, with Cook's position getting weaker with every batting failure and defeat, who will lose the toss to Michael Clarke in the opening match of Australia's second successive whitewash next summer? Will Cook hang on in there? Will another of the senior players take over? Will they go with a youngster, or a veteran from outside the current setup? Perhaps someone nobody has even considered yet! Answers on a postcard... or this thread...

Pretty much all there is left to hope for next year is that at least one of the tests is rained off. I'll take 4-0.

Foster or Read for me, as an interregnum until Root or Moeen is ready.

Anyone seriously touting Bell as FEC, look at his two "performances" in this Test when the chips were really down - on top of an ongoing series of rotten efforts - and see he's at least as much a demoralising stink-the-place-out flop as a skipper as the present incumbent. He may yet have a few innings in him for England, but don't let him anywhere near the armband ffs.

Honestly, they're f*cked.

It's too soon to hand the role to a rookie, and none of the senior players are even worth their place in the side anymore.

Maybe - as Vaughan suggested - they need to shoe-horn Morgan into the team at six, hope that he isn't too terrible in proper cricket, and leave him to it.

Other than him, I suppose Foz Foster as a stop gap until someone else pops up.

Trouble is, I can't imagine who that someone would be. People talk of Root as being a FEC but on what basis? The same criteria that ended up with Alastair Cook: a nice boy with a lovely complexion. Where are his leadership credentials?

James Vince, former England U19 skipper, has taken over the Hants captaincy in the short form of the game this season, presumably with an eye on being top dog one day. He's knocking on the door of the England senior side. Perhaps he might turn out to be the long term investment they're looking for.

But the Ashes are going to come around too soon for English cricket to be in any other state than a shambles.

Like I say, they're f*cked. Backed the wrong horse. No forward planning. Just a combination of arrogance and denial.

PeterCS wrote:Foster or Read for me, as an interregnum until Root or Moeen is ready.

Anyone seriously touting Bell as FEC, look at his two "performances" in this Test when the chips were really down - on top of an ongoing series of rotten efforts - and see he's at least as much a demoralising stink-the-place-out flop as a skipper as the present incumbent. He may yet have a few innings in him for England, but don't let him anywhere near the armband ffs.

I like the idea of Moeen as a potential captain as well, but he's got precious little experience though - only when Daryl Mitchell has been injured and that hasn't been very often.

There'd be a lot on his plate: captain, batsman, spinner, chief beard wrangler.

He'd be the "English" Amla. I'd go for it just because having 2 Muslim captains of "none Muslim" countries would f**k of Big Dog big time.

England v South Africa, the Battle of the Beards...

And why does "English" require quotes in the above? He was born in Birmingham which makes him a fair bit more English than KP, Prior, Strauss, Ballance, Stokes, Jordan etc...

eowyn wrote:He'd be the "English" Amla. I'd go for it just because having 2 Muslim captains of "none Muslim" countries would f**k of Big Dog big time.

Is England still regarded as non Muslim?

Ronnie Burnet

For the ASHES? What about for the f*cking Windies? Or are we thinking that they don't count? At this current juncture, they would smash us 2-0. Ashes, Ashes, Ashes. I was sick at the thought of playing Aus again after the 3-0, let alone the 0-5. I'm tired of them. Maybe it moistens all of your little vajayjays, but mine is dry as a nun's. F*ck Australia and f*ck England.

Brass Monkey wrote:For the ASHES? What about for the f*cking Windies? Or are we thinking that they don't count? At this current juncture, they would smash us 2-0. Ashes, Ashes, Ashes. I was sick at the thought of playing Aus again after the 3-0, let alone the 0-5. I'm tired of them. Maybe it moistens all of your little vajayjays, but mine is dry as a nun's. F*ck Australia and f*ck England.

Who cares about the West Indies? No, they don't count. Most boring tour and team in the game these days, the sooner they split into individual islands and join the associates the better. Post-World Cup afterthought, oh yeah, we'd better play some Tests this winter hadn't we...

Yeah, they'll probably beat us, at least over there. Probably by bowling us out for ****** all in the first match then playing 8 batsmen and three trundlers, or perhaps a chucker, in the rest. But if you want to see England win then let's arrange some games with Bangladesh or Zimbabwe quickly. Otherwise let's have some games that actually have some heated rivalry about them, and that's Australia, South Africa and India.

There's no 'heated rivalry' between most of those teams, bar a couple of wankers being the wankers they were always meant to be. I'm not sure what cricket you're watching. Maybe Hollioaks.

Hollioakes? They were Anglo-Aussies anyway...

Admittedly it's a bit of Ashes overkill at the moment, the back to back series were silly, a bit like having a football World Cup every year, the novelty would soon wear off.

England-South Africa's been my favourite Test series over the years I think, so often closely contested. It was sadly marginalised at a time when both sides were competing for number one. They'd piss on us now of course, but we could have done with a bit of Smith the captain killer right now. Can they make him coach for next time we play them if Cook's still in charge?

Maybe a bit wild, this suggestion .... but ... Trescothick to captain England at home?

With Trott as vice?

I wasn't being sarcastic (this time); I was more thinking of an elder statesman fill-in captain, who despite previous mental illness and stress might be happy to help out and LEAD at home.

Well, he was offered the chance to play the WT20 at home 4 or 5 years ago and he declined. There's more chance of a KP comeback, or even Fredalo!

I wondered if this might be Tresco's last season in county cricket as he struggled with injury and form last year, but seems to be having a decent run this year and currently reinventing himself as stand-in keeper at the age of 38!

lardbucket wrote:I wasn't being sarcastic (this time); I was more thinking of an elder statesman fill-in captain, who despite previous mental illness and stress might be happy to help out and LEAD at home.

The trouble is that English cricket do not have an elder statesman type player like Cowdrey or Close to step in. Or even a Brearley.

If Collingwood had been a couple of years younger he could have been a half decent stopgap. As it is, he's already taking steps down the coaching route.

Apart from Andrew Gale, are any of the other county captains seen as possible strong leaders who might manage to average 30 with the bat?

To move the tracks slightly sidewards has any team ever changed captains mid series as much as England?

lardbucket wrote:Apart from Andrew Gale, are any of the other county captains seen as possible strong leaders who might manage to average 30 with the bat?

Well, people have mentioned Read and Foster (both keepers) and also Rob Key... all Test capped but probably none of them within the last 10 years.

Eoin Morgan's viewed as the most likely contender from outside the current side (though not a full time county captain) and perhaps the only one on the selectors' radar in any way.

Peter Moores is in charge ... so, Ed Sussex?

Big Dog wrote:

eowyn wrote:He'd be the "English" Amla. I'd go for it just because having 2 Muslim captains of "none Muslim" countries would f**k of Big Dog big time.

Is England still regarded as non Muslim?

Are you still regarded as being non-stupid?