Trevor Bayliss expects Alastair Cook to still be England captain for next winter's Ashes tour

Cook hinted he could step down after the current tour of India

Tuesday 06 December 2016 11:47 EST
Comments
Cook has been captain for three Ashes series, winning two and losing one
Cook has been captain for three Ashes series, winning two and losing one (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Coach Trevor Bayliss expects Alastair Cook to lead England into next winter's Ashes.

Cook, who has captained his country more times than anyone else, recently admitted he did not know how long he would remain in the job, suggesting it could be as little as two months.

But Bayliss thinks the 31-year-old will still be in charge when England head Down Under trying to retain the Urn they won in 2015.

"He's talking about the next Ashes series and being out in Australia," Bayliss told BBC Test Match Special.

"Sometimes there are little comments made along the way and they get blown out of all proportion.

"He's certainly up for the fight. I haven't had any discussion with him any other way and that's what we've been working towards.

"I was as surprised as anyone when I saw that in the papers."

Cook hold the English records for the most Test runs, caps and matches as captain but hinted last month that he may stand down following the current tour of India, saying: “It could be two months, it could be a year.”


Alastair Cook walks off the pitch after being clean-bowled by Ravichandran Ashwin in the third test 

 Alastair Cook walks off the pitch after being clean-bowled by Ravichandran Ashwin in the third test 
 (Reuters)

England currently trail India 2-0 in the five-Test series, with the four Test starting on Thursday in Mumbai.

Following that, England host four Tests against South Africa and three against the West Indies next summer, before flying out to Australia for the Ashes in November, which would be Cook’s fourth as captain.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in