Steven Finn backs Alastair Cook to help England reclaim No. 1 Test spot

England fast bowler Steve Finn has backed Test captain Alastair Cook, saying the opening batsman can fill Andrew Strauss’s boots and kickstart England’s rise back to the No. 1 position.

London: England fast bowler Steve Finn has backed Test captain Alastair Cook’s cricketing skills, saying the opening batsman can fill Andrew Strauss’s boots and kickstart England’s rise back to the No. 1 position.

England’s tour of India will be Cook’s first in charge of the national team since Strauss’s shock retirement back in August. And Finn, who is already the youngest English bowler to take 50 Test wickets, believes Cook’s outfit will be simmering with refreshed ambition as they prepare to take on India on home soil. “He has been a great leader, which is why he’s now Test captain, he has got all the credentials, he’s very calm, he’s an experienced player and he makes good decisions,” a daily quoted Finn, as saying. “It’s a great time for us to start playing a really good brand of Test cricket and Cooky will run the side in his own individual way and we’re all going to get behind him,” he added. According to the report, Finn, who was just six months old when Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar made his Test debut in November 1989, is also looking forward to his first clash with the Little Master, the man who has rewritten the record books during his career. “He’s a great of the game and it’s very exciting to be able to come against these people. I grew up watching Tendulkar on television, so to be playing against him will be an incredible experience,” he said. ANI