IRISHMAN EOIN MORGAN will captain the England cricket team after Alastair Cook was dismissed from the role following a miserable run of form.
Cook has scored just one fifty in his last 22 one-day innings for England and he has paid the price for failing to stop the rot during his country’s recent 5-2 series defeat in Sri Lanka.
England’s selectors have decided to axe Cook as skipper, and Morgan is now set to lead the side for the tri-series in Australia after Christmas and then the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in February and March.
After England’s series-ending defeat in Colombo on Tuesday, Cook, who hasn’t scored a one-day century since June 2012, conceded he could have no complaints if he lost the one-day captaincy.
But the decision to remove him from the role with the World Cup looming is still a major reversal by Paul Downton, the managing director of England cricket, and head coach Peter Moores, who have given Cook absolute backing this year.
Cook is expected to be able to continue captaining the Test side and will focus on England’s bid to regain the Ashes against Australia next year.
Yorkshire’s Gary Ballance is believed to be the leading contender to replace Cook in England’s 15-man World Cup squad, which will be announced on Saturday, with Moeen Ali and Alex Hales a potential new opening partnership.
Updated at 09.38
Additional reporting by Paul Fennessy
I’d say everyone will get the Ballyragget one right
Follow Buff Egan and you’d have gotten the full 10
My first 10 of 2017 I’d say and just in the nick of time!! If only the weekly quizzes were all GAA questions!!
“Where would you find county intermediate champions St. Patrick’s Ballyragget?”
Oooh. That’s just baiting us for sarcastic answers.
An easy 10. Five or six of them are straightforward geography questions anyway, even if you knew nothing about GAA.