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Alastair Cook opens up on his desire to join England's coaching staff after Ashes defeat

Harsh Adwani

Alastair Cook opens up on wanting to coach England [Source: @englandcricket/x.com]Alastair Cook opens up on wanting to coach England [Source: @englandcricket/x.com]

Former England cricketer Michael Atherton, in his column for The Times, said that Sir Alastair Cook could be a great choice to join England’s support staff as Head Coach Brendon McCullum’s assistant. This comes after England’s massive defeats in the Ashes down under.

Responding to this, Cook joked in an interaction with TNT Sports that Atherton only wrote that because he wanted to increase the length of his column. However, he also added that he would like to make a difference in English cricket in the future. But for now, he said, there has been no contact by the board for any such position.

"The only thing I will say about it is the article needed to be 800 words, and Mike Atherton had done 600 and used the final 200 and threw something in. Look, at some stage in my life, would I like to be involved in the England cricket team? I think I would like to try and make a difference,” he said.

"I don't know whether that is the next bit or whatever. At the moment, there are people in jobs and all that kind of stuff. And there has been zero contact. Zero in it. Let's just see," he added.

Cook would be a perfect candidate for the job, believes Aetherton

In the Times column, Atherton wrote that if Cook can be persuaded to take the position, he would be a great addition to the team. He added that Cook’s record against Australia and India in home and away conditions can be a great advantage for the next generation of cricketers.

"Alastair Cook, if he could be persuaded, would be a perfect candidate. Having retired from Test cricket in 2018, he is in touch with the game but distanced enough to have seen it from beyond the boundary,” he wrote.

“He is one of England's greatest cricketers. He knows what it takes to succeed, having scored 33 Test hundreds. He won the Ashes at home, as captain, and away as a player. He captained England to home and away triumphs in India. He was equally good against pace and spin,” he added.

Atherton also added that Cook can complement McCullum’s attacking style of cricket with his disciplined approach towards the game. He believes the former captain has the drive to win games with discipline.

"He made himself into a champion by dint of a Stakhanovite work ethic. He could probably still outrun most of the players now. If McCullum's great strength – and it is a great strength – is making his players feel 10 feet tall, then Cook could help with the drive and the discipline," he continued.

Can Alastair Cook do well in the English setup?

In the ongoing Ashes in Australia, England lost the series in just 11 days and were humiliated at the hands of the home team. One of the key reasons for their loss was the lack of discipline in the middle order.

The England batters were keen on getting quick runs in every situation, which prevented them from building longer partnerships and getting enough runs on the board. If the stars do align and Cook is added to the support staff, he can help fine-tune that mentality and bring in the change England desperately needs.