3 captains: laughable

So the ECB has confirmed that the three England cricket sides will now be lead by three different captains.

Needless to say, The Chairman thinks this is laughable. More importantly, it is entirely unsustainable, arguably a dereliction of duty by the ECB (it certainly shows muddled thinking and an element of cowardice, not for the first time it must be said - KP... Zimbabwe etc etc).

Firstly of course, neither Cook, nor Broad are even close to being sure of their place in the sides they now captain. A captain simply must merit his place in the side. This is a basic requirement.

Cook has not played one day cricket for England for ages. He is not the first choice opening batsman in one day cricket. On that basis alone he should not be captain. But let's look at other factors. Cook is slow in the field and restricted to positions reserved for the more leisurely pace of test cricket - short leg, gully. He offers nothing in the field.

Cook has not even captained his school sides. Saying he captained well in Bangladesh is offensive and of course entirely irrelevant. My late grandmother, gawd bless her, would have captained England to a series win against a bunch of 5-foot tall under-nourished Bangladeshis. He has shown nothing to indicate and tactical nous, or indeed leadership.

The great Ian McGeechan picked Martin Johnson as captain of the Lions before he captained England as he wanted to strike fear and respect into the opposition. Cook isn't even shaving yet. He is a boy in a man's clothing. The fact he had a wonderful Ashes is irrelevant to his ability to skipper a one day side. It is just baffling.

Even more so is the decision to choose that loose cannon Broad as skipper of the T20 side. Collingwood was a fighter. A hugely respected team man who overcame his clear talent shortcomings by hard graft and determination. The players wanted to play for him. He lead from the front.

Like Cook, Broad is by no means sure of a starting place on merit. He has not played for months, had a dismal Ashes and has a highly questionable attitude. Let's not forget he was spanked for 6 sixes in one over not so log ago. His bowling is often plain rubbish, his batting is determined entirely by luck. His behaviour on the field is simply not good enough to be considered captain. Like that idiot "Ricky" Ponting who regularly embarrassed an entire nation by his childish antics, Broad does not have the respect he needs to be a captain of a national side. Nor frankly does he merit his place in the England team. The ECB picked him even though he has not even turned out for Notts this season. Is this a joke? Why does the ECB pick players on reputation rather than form? No other country does this.

I have nothing personal against Broad or Cook. They seem ok to me. But captains they are not.

And what about the principle of having 3 captains. Well it won't work will it. There wil be confusion, issues over hierarchy as the same players switch between the codes. Differet styles, views, opinions on selections. It is a confusing mess and it is typically spinelss of the ECB to take that they think is the easy way out. All this bullshit about new young faces, fresh start etc is plain bollocks. Can you see KP happy to take instructions from a blonde beanpole who tweets about playstation and backs away from fast bowling?

Laughable. It will end in tears.