Alastair Cook can go 'on and on' as England Test captain, says Michael Atherton
Friday 28 October 2016 08:21, UK
Alastair Cook looks like "he could go on and on and on" as England captain as he prepares to make his record-equalling appearance as Test skipper, says Michael Atherton.
Cook will match Atherton's own mark of 54 games as England captain when the second Test against Bangladesh begins in Dhaka on Friday - live on Sky Sports 2 from 4.30am.
Speaking to the Sky Cricket Podcast Atherton says he has "tremendous admiration" for Cook's longevity in the role and offers an insight into the many and varied demands of the job.
"I remember how beat up I felt at the end of the years that I did it due to a combination of things - the physical demands, which were intense at a time when we didn't play as much international cricket as they do now - but we played a lot of cricket in between for counties," says Atherton.
"Obviously the 1990s when I captained was not a particularly successful time comparative to now so that combination of criticism and getting beaten meant that I was very, very weary.
"A bit like Alastair, I was batting at the top of the order and I think that adds an extra layer of pressure; you do get a break when you're out but you are out there trying to lead from the front.
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"For all those reasons four years did me in and I was really ready to pack up then. Having done it for four years I felt it was almost like having played for eight years - captaining and opening the batting was a 'double whammy'.
"What I'm getting round to is I have tremendous admiration for Alastair, having got to 54 games, and looking as fresh as a daisy. I saw him in the gym the other day; he was pounding out 5km in about 18 minutes, lifting weights and looking in fantastic physical nick.
"He looks as though he could go on and on and on. Generally I feel there is a bit of a shelf-life for captains - I did it for three-and-a-half to four years, Michael Vaughan did it for four years, Nasser Hussain did it for four years and all of us looked very, very beaten up by the end of it.
"All of the factors that led to me being beat up are almost the opposite for him. England are doing well, now - they are pretty successful. He will feel very different now from how he felt at the end of the Ashes when England where white-washed, when he looked like a haunted man.
"Secondly, what I think was absolutely vital for him, was being removed from the one-day captaincy which he didn't like at the time but it means that he gets a fantastic work-life balance; it means that he can come to every Test match series focused on a pretty short period of time.
"The third thing is that he has a life away from cricket; he's got the other interest, which is farming. He gets away and he's not on social media so when he is away from cricket, he is away from cricket.
"The final factor is that the support network around the team now is so far removed from what it was in terms of the coaching staff, the physical support and the commercial support means that a lot of the load is taken off the captain."
Listen to the interview in full by downloading the Sky Cricket Podcast here, and get Atherton's thoughts on how…
- Cook's ability to change, keep learning and listen to a wider range of advice has helped him to grow as a captain
- how the appointment of Trevor Bayliss and Paul Farbrace - and their almost hands-off approach - has helped Cook's confidence
- his thoughts on whether Haseeb Hameed is likely to stay on the sidelines while Gary Ballance gets another go
Watch the second Test between Bangladesh and England live on Sky Sports 2 from 4.30am on Friday.
