Strauss slams ECB over shoddy handling of Cook's dismissal

Former England cricket team skipper Andrew Strauss has slammed the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for their handling of Alastair Cook's dismissal as the squad's ODI captain.

The ECB dropped Cook after concluding that his form could not justify a place in the England side for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, and Eoin Morgan has replaced him as captain.

However, news of the sacking leaked on Friday but was not formally announced until Saturday morning while the ECB tried to reach Morgan, who is playing in the Big Bash Twenty20 tournament in Australia, The Guardian reported.

Strauss believes that it was ultimately the correct decision to change, but criticised the ECB's treatment of Cook, who would remain as England's Test captain.

Strauss stated that it would have been a dereliction of their duties, however, not to step in prior to the World Cup , as the humdrum surrounding Cook was starting to distract and affect England's chances at the tournament as his lack of runs.

But, the former skipper added that what does leave an unsavory taste in the mouth was the way that the axe got wielded. He claimed that the ECB's image has taken a battering every bit as significant as the reputation of some of its players over the past 12 months.

Image: England captain Alastair Cook

Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images