Alastair Cook should be replaced as captain: Nasser Hussain

Nasser Hussain (L) interviewing Alastair Cook

London, December 18 (IANS)

Alastair Cook should be immediately taken out from captaincy ahead of the World Cup before time runs out, former England skipper Nasser Hussain has said.

England's one-day series defeat in Sri Lanka was their fourth in a row under Cook, who scored 119 runs in six games. England went down to the islanders 2-5 in the seven-match series that ended on Tuesday.

"It would not be too much of a gamble. It should have happened months ago," Hussain wrote in the Daily Mail.

Left-handed opening batsman Cook, who turns 30 on December 25, has not scored a half-century in his last 22 ODI innings.

"We put Test cricket first in this country and that means that predominantly Test batsmen in myself, Michael Vaughan and Andrew Strauss have been in charge for the last three World Cups," said Hussain, who led England during the 2003 tournament in South Africa.

"The fact that Cook is still having to work out his best way to play spin in one-day cricket is a disgrace," he added.

England have a maximum of five ODIs before their opening World Cup game against Australia February 14.