'It's a distraction that can only unsettle the team dynamic' - Alastair Cook opens up on Tim Paine scandal

The upcoming Ashes series has to deal with certain controversies ahead of its start. The former England skipper Alastair Cook has opened up on the same. According to him, all of the external noise is something that no team will want to face before entering a mega-series like the Ashes.

It is a no-brainer that the Ashes often produce some high-intensity on-field rancor. However, this time even before its start, the teams are dealing with some unfortunate things. Tim Paine recently took the call of resigning as Australia’s Test skipper. His decision came amidst the sexting scandal with a Tasmanian woman colleague.

England, on the other hand, has been facing claims of institutional racism. According to Cook, the absence of an established captain is a distraction for the team. He also added that this will go down to unsettle the team dynamic.

It is the kind of external noise that a team does not need: Alastair Cook

“It is the kind of external noise that a team does not need going into such an important series. There has been speculation that Paine’s absence will make Australia stronger. It’s possible that his replacement… maybe a better wicketkeeper-batsman but the removal of an established captain, in such circumstances, is a distraction that can only unsettle the team dynamic,” Cook said as quoted by cricket.com.

Pat Cummins has been appointed as the new Test captain of the Australian team with Steve Smith appointed as his deputy. The latter makes a comeback to the leadership duties after quite a considerable span. He was earlier banned from any sort of leadership roles owing to the sandpaper scandal that took place in South Africa in 2018.

Smith had previously reckoned that his appointment might not go quite well with some as there will be negativities surrounding it. Thus, Australia’s former spinner Shane Warne has put forth his opinions on Smith’s appointment. He pointed that the batter shouldn’t have been considered for the role.

“His second chance is getting to play for Australia again and in my opinion announcing him as vice-captain opens up CA for ridicule and criticism,” Warne said.