How A Chef Brought England To The Top

Finding a worthy replacement for Andrew Strauss as the next captain of the England Test team wasn't as hard of a task for the club's management to perform. They had positioned Alastair Cook as vice-captain of the squad since he was 24 and he is now primed to take over command as Strauss makes way for his retirement. We first saw a glimpse of how this right-handed man with the traditional left-handed drive can take the lead in a match against Bangladesh that took place more than two years ago. In the midst of an unrelenting attack, he didn't flinch and remained calm all throughout the game.
"Chef," as he is called by his teammates, has now found himself at the head of the pack a little sooner than what he would have wanted. In one interview, he said that he casually went to attend a meeting in nothing but his pajamas and a pair of flip-flops, and then walked out having been asked to become captain. "Neither the team, nor myself, have seen it [Strauss' retirement] happening this soon. It was definitely a shock," he said.
After 18 months of preparation as one-day captain, Cook seems as if he's got everything figured out. Without these months of captaincy, he surely would have projected a more nervous demeanor. He carried on saying that he doesn't know every single thing there is to know about being a captain and said, "No matter how many people you've talked to, or how many books you've read, the only way you can learn about the whole process is by actually doing it."
Even if he and Strauss have been said to have similar styles, the Chef has shown to be his own man. Since his assumption as captain, he has led England to 18 wins, bringing the team's world ranking position to first place. His batting average has significantly improved from 33.00 when he was an average foot soldier to 47.87 as a skipper. What a successful run this one-day team has had!
It would seem as if Alastair Cook has taken on the challenge to continue the high standard of play passed on to him by his former captains. From Nasser Hussain, to Michael Vaughan, and even Strauss, their collective efforts to enhance their level of play, have risen England from being a mere Test team to becoming the top cricketers in the world. The 27-year-old captain has surely taken hold of the reigns and has clearly kept the momentum going.

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