Who would you replace him with, there is only Collingwood and hes not a world class player, I cant see him being a forceful captain either?
you're probably right, there's no obvious candidate to replace him. we do seem to be relying on individual brilliance rather than a concerted team effort these days though.
every team is reliant on individual brilliance - it is an individual game.
Flintoff will be fit for the summer, who would you drop - Anderson?
I think Cook has done a great job with the bat, but his fielding (not including that one golden test this winter when he pulled off three great catches) is very poor for such a young chap.
I think ideally Flintoff would come in for Anderson, but I really doubt whether he will ever be fit enough to be part of a 4 man attack. And then I doubt whether he is a good enough batsman to make it a 5 man attack.
As for Cook - his fielding and running between the wickets have impressed immeasurably in the last year and i think they will continue to improve.
I have given Strauss a lot of criticism and do actually still believe Owais Shah should be batting at 3, but that innings says everything about his character. Mentally one of the best players in the world, which is why he's had a pretty successful Test career despite some glaring technical weaknesses.
Jonathan Agnew's blog says that he was exposed countless times on day 3 but had the mentality to see it through. That is exactly what we have come to expect from Strauss, but for me he has capitalised on a weak attack on a flat pitch and is not a sustainable option at 3. However, this innings has guaranteed he'll have at least a few opportunities this summer to prove me wrong.
