Who should be the next England cricket captain?

Avgust

Probably best to go for an older hand to steady the ship up to until the next ashes and then bring in Ali Cook as skipper, form permitting. He'd have developed more experience by then and still be relatively young enough to build a side for 4-5 years. When the new skipper comes in, should make Cook vice-captain to allow him to gain this experience.

Jon

I am one of the many who was very upset that Strauss lost the captaincy to Flintoff for the last Austraila tour. However Strauss's form is now just not good enough to justify him being captain. He remains very close to exclusion from the Test team and hardly ever gets into the one-day team. I am not a fan of Pietersen, maybe making him captain will hasten his departure from the team altogether.

David

Sean, I came in here to say Andrew Strauss as well.

Ant

I actually think Cook is the answer. His place is safer than that of Strauss and I reckon it's his time.

Rob Key is an intriguing outsider but it would be too much of a gamble to hand the captaincy to somebody who appeared to lack the temperament for Tests when he wasn't captain.

I don't think Pietersen would be the appropriate captain at the moment.

Jane

I would like Andrew Strauss - his previous captaincy was excellent. However, I accept Jon's view that he is not in the best of form and like him I was angry that he was replaced by Andrew Flintoff who does not have the character to be leader. It looks very much like Kevin Pieterson. I admire his cricket but am not enamoured of his personality although all reports suggest that he is a more rounded figure since his marriage.

Ian C

KP does not have the mental toughness and nous necessary. Bringing in Rob Key would be a good short term solution - and he is as good as Vaughan and Colli on recent form.

Kevyn Bodman

Pietersen is a very good player; I'm not sure he's a team player at the moment.
There was an instance in the NZ series when he missed a potential run out opportunity in the field when he pulled up to rub his calf instead of chasing the ball down hard.

His shot to get out on 94 in the recent Test was one of the game's pivotal moments. Would he have played that shot on 74, or 84, or 104?
I suspect not.
Making him captain might give him more of a sense of responsibility.
It is a risk. I would take the risk. But, as with all risks, it might not pay off.

None of us know what goes on in the dressing-room; that matters in the choice of captain.

As for Pietersen being a great player, it's too early to say.
He is certainly very good; but if you describe him as great what word is left to describe: Bradman, Sobers, Tendulkar, Lara, Warne, Muralitharan?

Ponting, Border, Javed Miandad, Lillee, Holding, Trueman, McGrath? And on and on.

Pietersen needs a longer career playing at least at the level he's playing at now before he can be called great.

Nigel Barlow

It should def be Andrew Strauss as a short term appointment and Alistair Cook for the future.Nothing should effect KP's mental attitude to scoring runs.I wouldn't worry about having a sepertae captain for the one day squad.

Dontmindme

"Bringing in Rob Key would be a good short term solution - and he is as good as Vaughan and Colli on recent form."

Actually he is better than both on current form, and is excellent in all three versions off the game. I have always been a fan of the doctine of selecting a captain becasues he is a good captain, and not on superior batting merit. Key has taken Kent to three finals in two years, and is a better batsmen/character than he was when he did play for England

Marcus Cotswell

If, like me, you believe that it's got to go to someone who's a sure-fire pick for the team, that kinda narrows it down at the moment.
I think that, as Englishmen stout of heart and stiff of upper lip, we're inclined to dismiss KP because (a) he's a bit too flamboyant for our tastes, both in his batting and his demeanour and (b) he's not 'properly' English.
But it would be difficult to doubt his commitment to the cause and his will to win. And the fact he's a bit 'flash' doesn't mean he doesn't have tactical nous, too. And I think he's got the potential to be a good leader, too.
I say pick him, give him his chance - he may surprise us.

thomas

I agree with what's been said about Strauss' earlier stint as captain - it was an Ashes losing decision to replace him. In response to the question would Pietersen have holed out on 78 or 104 - the answer is yes, absolutely! KP's style of play is responsile for some game winning and game saving innings and he shouldn't be encouraged to change it. I'm more worried about the captaincy affecting his form, he's the only batsman who doesn't have question marks over his place. One worries is that's the reason why he got the job.

GH

There have been several instances of maverick characters making good captains, with Nasser Hussain and Ricky Ponting the most recent examples; Chris Gayle made a more than promising start as captain of the WI too. So I wouldn't rule out Pietersen on account of his personality.

Having said that, Strauss would be the safer option; Cook too, though he is perhaps one for the future rather than the present.

Rob Key's test record is not good enough to make him a viable candidate, though he will be in the frame to replace Vaughan as a batsman, as will Owais Shah, Paul Horton, David Sales and Ravi Bopara.

Pietersen will either be a resounding success or a resounding failure and we're likely to find out pretty quickly which it's going to be. So appointing him now gives us time to change again in time for the Ashes should he prove to be a failure.

Greg

Cook.

Although it'll be Pietersen. I have heard the odd rumour that Key's been offered it though..

G Boycott

Geoffrey Boycott

coops

rob key averages 40 this year in county cricket. 58 players averaging higher. his selection would be as unjustified as that of pattinson

Fergus Pickering

Have you SEEN Key play? He's a better player than either of the present openers. And a man who smokes and drinks and jokes would have been a lovely selection. But of course it had to be, and was, Pietersen. I hope he surprises you lot. And name me a better England batsman since Denis Compton? Geoffrey Boycott? Naaah.

Tiberius

I was aghast when I heard KP was the favourite. It's just not possible for me to imagine him as a successful England captain because he doesn't seem to be a deep enough thinker for Test cricket.

I wish him all the best and, as an England supporter, hope he succeeds. I just wonder, though, whether his appointment is through a lack of alternatives for captaining the team in all forms of the game, combining an urgency to improve in the one-day game with an accepted risk of slipping in Test cricket.

After all, a lot of people say 20Twenty is what's going to matter now, and KP can't run off to India now he's agreed to be skipper.

Tiberius

Fergus: Graham Gooch.

Fergus Pickering

Ibecame a fan of KP when he was asked by some deep-thinking anayst what he thought had happened when he was dismissed in yesterday's innings. Did the ball turn? Or pop? Or reverse? 'Nah,' says KP. 'I missed it.'

idle

Should have been Key to shake the complacency from this bunch. Cook next up, form allowing.

If KP captains like he bats, we'll occasionally tear our hair out, but it'll be exciting.

The trick is to get the best out of your players (helps if you get the best XI selected). No reason to pre-judge Pietersen here; wait until the Indian tour is over.