David Lloyd wants ‘empty tank’ Alastair Cook to be dropped in Oval Test

England opener Alastair Cook, who has also led his country in most number of Tests, announced that he will hang up his boots after the end of the fifth and final Test match against India at the Oval. The 33-year-old player, who has scored over 12,000 runs in Tests and is England’s highest scorer in the format, said he had “nothing left in the tank” and the Oval game will be his last.

While Cook received applause from various quarters for coming out with an announcement that will draw curtains on an illustrious career spanning over 12 years this month, former England player David Lloyd had a more firm take on the issue, saying the left-hand opening batsman should be dropped immediately to make way for a replacement.

Cook, who had scored 294 in one innings against the same opponents in 2011, has struggled in this series even as England have clinched the series 3-1. In seven innings so far, Cook has gathered just 109 runs with the highest score of 29 in Nottingham at an average of 15.57.

Lloyd, who represented England in the 1970s and early 1980s, took a more ruthless approach towards Cook saying the latter should not be given a chance to play the final Test for he believes that would hurt the hosts in finding a replacement for the departing opener. In a tweet, the 71-year-old, who is now a commentator, tweeted: “A Cook has been a wonderful player for England .. a rock .. he says , “ the tank is empty” Can’t personally see why he plays at the Oval .. get the new chap in immediately.”

A Cook has been a wonderful player for England .. a rock .. he says , “ the tank is empty” Can’t personally see why he plays at the Oval .. get the new chap in immediately

— David 'Bumble' Lloyd (@BumbleCricket) September 3, 2018

Bumble’s tweet sparked a debate

It didn’t take long before Lloyd’s straight forward opinion sparked a debate. The Twitterati questioned ‘Bumble’ on why he didn’t want to give Cook a farewell and who he would pick to replace the latter. Lloyd, however, stood his ground saying there was no need to become emotional since Cook was not dead and if indeed the fans wanted to pay him respect, he could “parade around the ground at Lunchtime”.