Stokes should not be loaded with pressure of captaincy

As soon as the West Indies series finished, I said Joe Root should resign as England captain. My view was Stuart Broad should be appointed for the short term as something different.

He has a hard edge and, listening to him talk cricket on TV in interviews and commentary, I have been impressed. As a bowler, he would bring a different perspective. I was the first to write this, and since then a few journalists have mentioned him as an outside alternative to Ben Stokes.

Stokes walks off the SCG. Credit: Getty

England’s last great all-rounder, Ian Botham, did not do too well as captain. Nine Tests home and away in 1980 and 1981 against that all-conquering West Indies team would have been too much for any captain. But his form suffered and he was nothing like the great wicket-taking, run-scoring all-rounder we were used to.

Tony Greig had mixed success. He lost to the great Windies team at home in 1976, made worse by the ″⁣grovel″⁣ remark he always regretted. But he won in India, which is difficult. Ray Illingworth was good with his players and brilliant tactically.

He was clear thinking and successful because he made inspired, instinctive decisions and was always thinking ahead. It helped that he had some great players in John Snow, Alan Knott, Derek Underwood, John Edrich and myself.

The talent around Root has not been of the same quality. No matter how well he went, he could not bat for the rest of the side.

Many of the batters lacked basic technique. Some have no patience and their concentration span is limited. Judgment around off stump, which is so crucial, often finds them out. On top of that, some keep making the same mistakes.

The bowling is up in the air, with the two fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Mark Wood injured. Our new seamer Ollie Robinson is unfit and injury-prone and only seems to be good in English conditions.

There is indecision on what to do with our exceptional veterans, James Anderson and Broad. The best spinner, Jack Leach, is a trier but ordinary.

County cricket has been reduced and messed around so much to create more gate money and TV revenue from short-format competitions that it no longer produces quality Test cricketers. Interest and membership at county level has dwindled.

I think, like me, the cricketing public are so down and disheartened with English red-ball cricket that the captaincy issue is not a big deal. It should be but we have had so much promise, potential, PR speeches from captain and coaches that now we have turned off because the team keeps losing.

We keep hoping English cricket will get better, but we are not convinced it will. So, whoever is made captain, will it change anything? Probably not. A new captain should put a spring in the step of some players as they try to impress.

The first thing he should do is give some straight talking to those that keep making the same bad decisions. What a sad and sorry state for English cricket.

Root is better off without the captaincy. He took his time to reflect on his position before resigning. It will have tormented him as nobody gives up the captaincy of their country easily. So many players and coaches have publicly said how much they like him and want him to carry on.

Captaincy is about tactical awareness and management of players.

The dressing-room team spirit is great, Joe worked his socks off and cared passionately. Joe could not understand why he was being blamed for the team’s failures. It was not about blaming him.

It was the team was not winning or getting any better. Captains have to get the best out of their players and win matches. Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers put it best: “Winning isn’t everything - it’s the only thing!“

Captaincy is about tactical awareness and management of players. The players and public like Joe, so a dressing room with him in charge is bound to be a good place, but that alone does not win matches. Being smart and clever with a cricket brain has more impact. Tactically, Joe has not got it and never had it.

I do not believe you can learn it. It is instinct, a feel for the changing situations of a match and some experience helps. Having different plans for every opposition batsman is vital.

Whether players like you or not is not as important as getting them to respect and admire your tactical nous which helps them win. Better that a captain is hard and tough and not liked, but wins. Sport is not a popularity contest.

Telegraph, London