If you look back at the previous 18 months they became the best because everyone played their part. They demolished every side in their path, either home or away.
They won back-to-back Ashes series and the public in England view the cricket team on how they perform against Australia. From that perspective, they are in a strong position. But you have to look deeper. When you lose six out of 11 Tests, what has gone before is irrelevant.
Watching them against South Africa I just felt they forgot the basic strengths which took them to No 1 in the world. I saw a few players coming to the end of their careers and starting to concentrate on themselves. It was a case of making sure they were OK.
The team was unsettled. Ravi Bopara was in and out, Tim Bresnan and Steven Finn too. Suddenly there were young guys like James Taylor and Jonny Bairstow coming in and jostling for positions. When teams start losing and new players come and go, people start to worry about themselves and the side gets fragmented.
I saw signs of England not sticking to their structure and style of play. Not playing Graeme Swann at Headingley, and also bowling first, were huge errors. Swann helped them become No1 by adding variety to the attack regardless of the conditions. But England forgot what made them the best. It was a sign they had lost confidence.
They came up with new theories when they should have stuck to what made them No1: four bowlers, Swann and scoreboard pressure with big runs. Against South Africa they lost sight of those factors.
But it is easy to rectify all that with a renewed focus on the structure around the team. Looking into the crystal ball, the new leadership might bring a new situation with Kevin Pietersen. Alastair Cook may have a different approach which may lead to Andy Flower changing his mind. It is a new era. There has been so much said that I just hope common sense prevails and England’s best batsman will be back playing all forms of the game.
In all sporting teams it is a fact that not everyone gets on away from the field. It would be boring if every character was the same. You need different characters and conversations. It creates a healthy environment. But you have an issue once trust and respect goes between individuals and leaders.
KP has to earn that respect back and he does that through the way he conducts himself. But the team have to earn his respect too. Some have handled themselves pretty poorly. It is a two-way street. Nobody is in the right or wrong. Both parties are at fault.
It is disappointing it has got to this stage. It should have been sorted out at the beginning by being grown up, clearing the air and keeping the lines of communication open. Sometimes that is not easy and if that has failed then the ‘old school’ methods can work. Have dinner, a beer or whatever. If it ends up as a big row, a wrestling match on the floor or an arm round each other then fine. It is an extreme measure but sometimes you have to know what you are dealing with and what makes an individual tick. If you have tried the grown-up stuff sometimes you have to go the other way, and then say it is all water under the bridge, earn back the respect and move on.
The grown-up approach is how Strauss conducted himself throughout his career. I found him to be a very level-headed, calm and intelligent cricketer with lots of determination as well as skill as a batsman. He was a guy who thought about the game a lot. Away from cricket he was a nice guy to have a beer and chat with. I enjoyed his company. I respect the way he went about his cricket and he was a credit to England. Strauss was a good leader who won back-to-back Ashes and gelled the boys together.
Tactically he will not go down as one of the best skippers but that doesn’t mean he was a bad captain. In many respects he was first-class.
Cook has really grown in stature as player and leader through the way he has captained the one-day team. That has given him a lot of confidence as a player and a skipper.
He has shown a bit of imagination in the field which has surprised a few people because his demeanour is quiet and calm. He marshals his troops well, has thrown the ball to different bowlers to keep the batsmen thinking and has gone about the job with no fuss. He is close to Strauss and will have learned a lot from being around him.
He has big shoes to fill but will grow into the role. As a captain you are never at your best when you first start out. It takes a long time to feel at ease and gain the respect of the players. You also have to learn to trust your instincts rather than do what everyone else tells you to do.
It takes time to be bold enough to follow your nose and go for it because you fear failure and don’t want to make a mistake. But for Alastair the early signs are good and that is why it is not time to worry.
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