LONDON: Alastair Cook is expected to be confirmed as England’s ODI captain, through to the end of the World Cup, on Wednesday.

Cook’s place in the limited-overs set-up has been under intense scrutiny after series losses to Sri Lanka and India this summer.

The opener has struggled for form, as he did for much of the Test series against India, but will continue to take charge of the side in Sri Lanka later this year and at the World Cup.

England will name their squad for the seven-match series in Sri Lanka on Wednesday, two days after the national selectors panel met to discuss strategies and plan for the busy winter of 50-over cricket.

After the trip to Sri Lanka, England head to Australia for a tri-series against the hosts and India to complete their warm-up for the World Cup.

Cook has been the subject of widespread criticism for his 50-over form, with the likes of Michael Vaughan and Graeme Swann saying the time had come for a change after a series of poor series performances.

Eoin Morgan and Joe Root were reported to be the main candidates to take over from the 29-year-old, who has been in charge for five one-day series defeats.

Cook previously revealed he would be devastated to lose the captaincy before the World Cup which, despite their current form, he believes England have a chan­ce of winning.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2014