ESPNcricinfo looks back on Alastair Cook’s time as England’s one-day captain, which ended in a run of failure but included a period of notable success
Andrew McGlashan19-Dec-2014June/July 2011Alastair Cook’s pedigree as a one-day player was limited when he stood in for the resting Andrew Strauss on the 2010 tour of Bangladesh, where he won the ODIs 3-0. He took full charge of the one-day side after England’s failed challenge in the 2011 World Cup. His first series was against Sri Lanka where England came from 2-1 down to with 3-2. Cook scored his first hundred as captain in a defeat at Lord’s and an unbeaten 95 off 75 balls to help level the series at Trent Bridge.September 2011Cook led England to rain-affected 3-0 series win following their Test series whitewash of India. At the Ageas Bowl he struck 80 off 63 balls in a 23-over run chase and rounded off the series with a half-century in Cardiff.October 2011Overseas, however, it proved a tougher challenge for Cook and England as they were whitewashed 5-0 in India. Cook book-ended the series with 60s, but in the final match the team sank from 129 without loss to 176 all out against R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.February 2012Following the Test series whitewash against Pakistan in the UAE, Cook helped revive England’s fortunes in coloured clothes as he went on a golden run with the bat. Scores of 137 (which would remain a career-best), 102, and 80 were cornerstones in a 4-0 one-day series win, encouraging the belief that he would adapt successfully to the one-day game.June 2012Against West Indies, at The Oval, Cook scored his third hundred in six innings but the 112 would prove to be his final century before being sacked more than two years later.July 2012England’s stellar home form in one-day cricket continued as they secured a 4-0 victory against Austalia, which took them to No. 1 in the ODI rankings, although later in the summer they were held to a 2-2 draw by South AfricaFebruary 2013After another series defeat in India (which was Ashley Giles’ first as one-day coach), England bounced back from losing the first game to New Zealand to take the series 2-1. Cook remained consistent at the top of the order, making 78 in the victory in Napier. However, this series would prove to be his last bilateral win as one-day captain.June 2013Building up to the 2013 Champions Trophy, England suffered their first home one-day series defeat since 2009 when New Zealand won the first two matches of the series.June 2013 The Champions Trophy would become one of the agonising near-misses for English cricket. They began the tournament by comfortably beating a bedraggled Australia and although they lost to Sri Lanka, victory over New Zealand – with a half-century from Cook – secured a semi-final against South Africa where England produced a superb all-round display. The final was reduced to 20 overs per side by rain, India were restricted to 129 but, after Ravi Bopara and Eoin Morgan put England on the cusp, they could not close out the match.January 2014After overseeing the 5-0 Ashes whitewash it was a strained and drained Cook who led England through the one-day series. When the series was lost in Sydney he wavered over the captaincy, showing the first significant cracks in his leadership, but later insisted it was a momentary, emotional wobble and reiterated his desire to continue. He was rested from the tour of West Indies – where, ironically, England won the one-day series 2-1 – as England focused on the World T20.June/August 2014England’s expressions of loyalty to Cook could hardly have been more pronounced, but it was a bleak summer of one-day cricket, including series defeats against Sri Lanka – the fifth match of that series brought his final ODI fifty – followed by three thumping reversals against India which built the pressure on Cook as the World Cup started to draw nearer. The hierarchy stood firm, although it is understood not everyone was convinced about his retention by the end of the series and Downton belatedly admitted that discussions lasted several days.December 2014Cook limped through the one-day series against Sri Lanka scoring 119 runs at 19.83 and was also suspended for a match due to the team’s slow over-rate. In his absence, Morgan captained the side and made his first ODI fifty since January although it came in a last-over defeat. After the final match, where England were thrashed by 87 runs to lose the series 5-2, Cook said he had the desire to carry on but said he could have “no complaints” if he were sacked.
