Ganguly questions England's 'good boys and yes men'

England captain Alastair Cook has found an unlikely supporter in former India skipper Sourav Ganguly, who believes the rest of the squad have failed to back their leader up when required.

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has suggested numerous changes to the coaching staff in the wake of a five-nil Test series defeat at the hands of Australia have severely hampered England.

Lancashire's Peter Moores replaced head coach Andy Flower, batting coach Graham Gooch was removed and limited-overs coach Ashley Giles was dismissed.

Nottinghamshire's Mick Newell, meanwhile, was appointed to the selection committee – and former Sri Lanka head coach Paul Farbrace hired as Moores' immediate assistant.

"Where does England go from here? They panicked after the Ashes and I just get a feeling that English cricket's decisions depend on Ashes and that is so wrong. Yes, they were ordinary in Australia but some of the radical changes they have made will hurt them for a while now," Ganguly told the <i>Times of India</i>.

The English have since slipped to a historic series defeat against Sri Lanka – and earlier this week conceded a series deficit to the Indians on the back of a 95-run loss in the second Test at Lord's in London. Captain Alastair Cook remains without a century in the longest format of the international game for almost 30 innings.

"It might just be a blessing in disguise if captaincy is taken away from him but I am never a supporter of a captain being asked to leave. I don't know what will happen to his future as captain but the English selectors will be horrified at the thought of losing Cook the batsman," he added.

"Team selection is a lot more than choosing good boys and yes men. It's about flair, guts and creating winning situations for the team. In this England team, I see no one other than Ian Bell capable of doing that."

The third Test will get underway at the Rose Bowl in Southampton on Sunday. Old Trafford in Manchester and The Oval in London will host fixtures four and five respectively.

Latest