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James Anderson believes Alastair Cook was not given enough help in Australia when the going got tough and “needs senior players around him to share the burden”

Andrew McGlashan in Manchester27-May-2014Alastair Cook has taken a lot of criticism for England’s recent slide but he could not be blamed for their latest batting calamity, as they subsided to 99 all out in Durham. Ruled out with injury, all he could do was watch on grim-faced at the procession of batsmen.It is not yet confirmed whether Cook will take his place for the third one-day international at Old Trafford although a lengthy net – he arrived well before his team-mates on Wednesday morning – suggested his chances of a return are promising.Such has been England’s constant lurching from one failure to another since last summer, with only sporadic success to offer respite, the fact he has emerged unscathed in terms of his position is viewed by his detractors as a lack of accountability for what has gone wrong.However, James Anderson – one of the few senior players left from a core that has been ripped out of English cricket – believes Cook was not given enough help in Australia when the going got tough, which was pretty much from day two of the Test series onwards.”I don’t think over the winter that senior players helped as much as they could with taking pressure off Cooky, a captain’s job is difficult and he needs his senior players around him to share the burden,” Anderson said. “When you’re in Australia and you get on to a bit of a down slope, you can get a little bit insular I guess, start worrying about your own game perhaps.”Anderson, Ian Bell and, when fit, Stuart Broad are now the long-standing international figures alongside Cook – Matt Prior could be added to that list in Test cricket if his Achilles allows him to play again – and Anderson wants them to take some of the burden off Cook’s shoulders as they face a race against time to try and build a team for the World Cup alongside reviving the flagging Test side.”If we want to win the World Cup, we’re going to have to start playing well quickly. I think the senior players have got a huge role to play,” he said. “As a captain, it can’t always be his job to discipline people or think of tactics or make bowling changes. It’s everyone’s job to be thinking about the game, how the team can improve and be offering that advice, it doesn’t always have to come from the captain.”That’s where the senior players come in. When we’ve done well in the past is when we’ve had five or six guys who can stand up in the dressing-room and give feedback, that shares the burden and takes a bit of pressure off the captain.”As the senior pace bowler – a role he has held for a considerable number of years now – it is down to Anderson to set the tone with the ball whenever he plays. He has bowled nicely so far in the series, although there was an expectation of more early wickets at Chester-le-Street, and you would think a return to his home ground would fill him with excitement, but memories of a poor Test against Australia last year linger.”You’d think so,” he said, with the hint of a wry smile when asked about a happy homecoming, “but I’ve not played very well here in the last few international games. But certainly the first two games of the series I’ve bowled well and hopefully I can continue that.”You would also think that Anderson would know exactly what type of pitch to expect but he was hedging his bets, although he hoped the groundsman had had enough time to prepare something “that suits our fast bowlers”.That did not appear to be what Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lanka captain, was seeing as he termed the surface “subcontinental” after a quick glance. He could be forgiven, though, for the notion after the surface they encountered in 2011, which certainly had shades of Colombo about it. Offspinner Suraj Randiv took 5 for 42 and Tillakaratne Dilshan opened the bowling. “Three years ago was a real subcontinental type pitch,” Anderson remembered.Not that it did Sri Lanka much good as they lost the deciding match by 16 runs in an absorbing encounter – something this series could do with after two one-sided matches. That was also a series where England had started well at The Oval then crashed to two heavy defeats before fighting back. It is debatable whether this current England team have the confidence, or belief, to come back from 2-1 down. Cook will be desperate that it does not come to finding out.

Suresh Raina said he had to make sure he stayed till the last over because if one wicket fell, the pressure would have been on the new batsman

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2014It has been a four-year long wait for Chennai Super Kings since they won their first Champions League title in 2010. Contrary to their reputation of being regular finalists, it was a rather bleak period for them as they failed to make it to the final even once. So it was a relief for MS Dhoni and his team-mates that they were able to break a worrying trend. Pawan Negi, playing only his second game of the tournament, starred with a five-wicket haul before Suresh Raina controlled the chase with a clinical century,”I am so happy we delivered in a crucial situation, especially Pawan Negi bowled well and they were 20 runs short, but I and Baz [Brendon McCullum] had a good partnership and finished off,” Raina said. “I was looking to be positive in the first six overs. I know they had Piyush and Kuldeep and Yusuf – I have played a lot against them before. I knew if I get to a fifty I have to make sure to stay till the last over because if one wicket fell, the pressure would have come to the next batsman. “Raina had played a similar innings – a 25-ball 87 – in a tough chase against Kings XI Punjab during the knockout stage of the IPL this year, but his run-out robbed the team of momentum and Super Kings lost the match by 24 runs. Dhoni said that even though Super Kings were floundering in the knockouts, their were learnings from all those losses.”What’s important is to get to the knockouts. After that you may win games, you may lose games,” Dhoni said. “We have made eight finals, won four, I won’t say it is bad. We made quite a few errors in the last two finals, so what we took out of those finals was really important.”Raina did that in this game. In the last semi-final we played, he started well but was run-out and we were not able to chase the runs. Today he was aggressive throughout and calculative. Raina’s batting was fantastic because we needed someone to be there till the end and he is someone who plays spin really well.”Dhoni added that the toss was crucial as dew was expected to be a factor later in the day. “We thought there would be dew later and because the start was an hour early, we thought our spinners could still get a bit of help,” he said. “It was slightly difficult for the opposition bowlers. But I think we didn’t start well. Our fielding was not up to the mark. In finals, you have to take the game to the next level. It’s not about the bowling, we made too many misfields.”Those misfields meant that Kolkata Knight Riders were off to a good start with Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir adding 91 for the first wicket. Gambhir maintained an aggressive stance throughout his innings and did not let the more established Super Kings spinners settle. The counter-punch, however, came from an unexpected quarter. Negi, the left-arm spinner, reaped the rewards of tossing the ball on a helpful pitch and returned a five-wicket haul that was crucial in limiting the Knight Riders score to 180.”Negi is not afraid to toss the ball,” Dhoni said. “That was quite crucial because if there is dew and you keep bowling flat, you do not get much purchase out of the wicket. I was happy that he was still looking to flight the ball. Gambhir batted well for them. Because of him, our left-arm spinners were not able to contain them but once he got out, we were able to put pressure on other right-hand batsmen.”In the absence of Sunil Narine, all eyes had been on the young chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav, who had also been named in the India squad for the one-dayers against West Indies. Although, he was dismantled by Raina in his spell, Dhoni had encouraging words to say about him.”Kuldeep was fantastic,” Dhoni said. “He is a bowler who is not afraid to toss the ball, he has got variations. He bowled really well throughout the tournament. Also, this time of the year, more often than not you get a bit of dew, which makes it difficult for the spinners. It gives them the kind of experience they need once they graduate to the next level. At the same time, they share dressing room with legends of the game. It’s crucial they learn a lot out of them. You don’t get opportunities like this.”

Goal takes a look at the most memorable Premier League deals that were finalised on January transfer deadline day over the years

GettyFernando Torres | Chelsea | £50m

Fernando Torres’ £35 million deadline day transfer to Chelsea from Liverpool was a then-British transfer record. ‘El Nino’, a former Kop darling, infamously left the Reds to join Chelsea in 2011 in search for silverware and success amid a period of deep turbulence for the Anfield side.

While he had endeared himself to the Merseyside faithful with 81 goals, forming a prolific partnership with Steven Gerrard and earning a reputation as one of the Premier League’s most feared strikers, he was considered a flop at Stamford Bridge.

He scored his first Chelsea goal against West Ham on April 23, 2011 after a 903-minute goal-less run, though he did lift the Champions League trophy with the Blues in 2012.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesLuis Suarez | Liverpool | £23m

The Uruguayan international’s time at Anfield was marred with controversy, but he will be best remember for his scoring prowess and lethal attacking skill with the Reds. Luis Suarez was initially brought to Liverpool to Ajax in a view to partner Torres in attack, and scored on his debut against Stoke in February 2011.

He scored just four Premier League goals in his first half-season for Liverpool but became his side’s most valuable asset over the next few years, steadily increasing his league tally to 11 goals in 2011-12, 23 goals in 2012-13 and 31 goals in 2013-14.

He played a key role in Liverpool’s 2014 title push under Brendan Rodgers, and left for Barcelona later that summer.

GettyAndy Carroll | Liverpool | £35m

If there’s anybody who embodies the idea of a ‘panic buy’, it’s Andy Carroll. Liverpool acted swiftly to purchase the forward from Newcastle as a replacement for the outgoing Torres in January 2011, with Carroll’s club-record £35m signing confirmed on deadline day.

Carroll endured a challenging time at Liverpool, struggling to fill in for Torres. He managed to score just 11 goals in his two seasons for the Reds before leaving for West Ham in 2012.

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Getty ImagesPierre-Emerick Aubameyang | Arsenal | £56m

The Gunners had their eye on Gabon star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for a while, but his move was only confirmed on deadline day 2018 – as Arsenal, along with Chelsea and Dortmund, were involved in a player merry-go-round. Arsenal wanted Aubameyang, but Dortmund couldn’t sell the player without having a replacement, who they identified in Chelsea’s Michy Batshuayi. The Blues, in turn, wanted to bring in Olivier Giroud from the Emirates, which rounded out the transfer triangle stand-off.

All three clubs finally confirmed all three deals on January 31 – Aubameyang to Arsenal, Batshuyai replacing him at Dortmund, and Giroud signing for Chelsea from Arsenal.

Kumar Sangakkara will play two County Championship matches for Durham, against Yorkshire and Sussex, in preparation for Sri Lanka’s tour of England

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Apr-2014Kumar Sangakkara will play two County Championship matches for Durham, against Yorkshire and Sussex, in preparation for Sri Lanka’s tour of England. Sangakkara will miss Sri Lanka’s two ODIs in Ireland, and will join the squad after completing his second Durham match on May 14, ahead of Sri Lanka’s warm-up one-dayer against Kent.”I’m really looking forward to returning to county cricket with Durham and I’m immensely grateful for the opportunity,” Sangakkara said. “I actually made my debut for Warwickshire against Durham back in 2007 – I scored a few runs that day so I’m hoping to make amends this time around.”Sangakkara had sought a short-term county contract in order to acclimatise to England’s early summer conditions and the Duke ball, but had to wait on clearance from the national selectors, and a no-objection certificate from the board, before confirming the deal with Durham. Sri Lanka play their limited-overs leg of the tour first and switch to Test mode via a first-class match against Northamptonshire starting June 5.Last week, chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya had said he had hoped up to six Sri Lanka players would travel to England early in order to undertake early-season Duke-ball training, but that those plans had been upset by the departure of Paul Farbrace, who was expected to have facilitated the extra training time. At present, it appears only Sangakkara has secured a county stint – and that, only after significant effort.”To attract a player of Kumar Sangakkara’s quality to Durham is fantastic, and I’ve been really impressed by his eagerness to join us,” Durham coach Jon Lewis said. “In his short stay, I’m sure he’ll be a big asset – not just with his performances, but with the example he will show our crop of fine young cricketers.”The tour represents an opportunity for Sri Lanka to win their first Test in England since 2006. Sangakkara will also be set on improving an Test average of 30.58 from nine Tests in England – a figure that pales in comparison to his career average of 58.07.In February, Sangakkara said his decision to withhold his name from the IPL auction this year had been partly motivated by the desire to prepare for the England tour, as well as acknowledgement of a tight May schedule. During Sri Lanka’s most recent tour of England in 2011, Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene had missed a warm-up match due to IPL commitments.Sri Lanka play Tests at Lord’s and Headingley, the first of which begins on June 12. Durham’s match against Yorkshire begins on May 4 and the Sussex match on May 11.

Three youngsters were killed after a rain-soaked boundary wall at the Sylhet Stadium collapsed inside the nearby Lakatura Tea Garden on Tuesday

Mohammad Isam10-Jun-2014Three youngsters have died after a rain-soaked boundary wall at the Sylhet Stadium collapsed inside the nearby Lakatura Tea Garden during the early hours of Tuesday.The victims were sleeping in their tin-shed house when the wall crumbled on them at around 3:00 AM following heavy rain that started on Monday night. The deceased were identified as Nasima Akhtar (17) and his brother Zahed (11)- both children of a tea garden worker Azan Ali- and Ruhul (11), the son of another tea garden worker Kutubuddin who hails from the Srimangal district.”All of a sudden, we felt something falling on us,” Azan told . “Somehow we managed to go out of the rubble but Nasima and Zahed could not.”Locals immediately rushed to the spot to recover two bodies, but the third body was recovered only at around 4:30 AM. The bodies were handed over to the police, who sent them to the Osmani Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsies. Following the accident, hundreds of tea garment workers staged a one-hour demonstration on the nearby airport road at around 8:30 AM demanding compensation for the victims’ families.The Sylhet Stadium was one of three World T20 venues and hosted 30 matches, including 24 in the Women’s edition. The renovation work for the stadium was delayed last year, causing flutters within the BCB as ICC inspectors visited Sylhet several times until the stadium was reconfirmed as a venue last November.The sports ministry has formed a four-member inquiry committee which has been given three days to deliver the report. The National Sports Council, the regulatory body of sports in Bangladesh, is the custodian of all stadiums in the country, and its secretary Sibnath Roy said that the wall was built during the 2004-05 fiscal year and was not part of renovation work for the recent World T20.Mohammad Rahmatullah, the additional commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police, has said the police will investigate the matter, while the BCB and the country’s state minister for youth and sports Biren Shikdar both expressed their shock over the accident.”The Sylhet Stadium is an establishment under the jurisdiction of the NSC,” the BCB said in a statement. “The BCB has already communicated to the NSC that it expects a comprehensive inquiry into this unfortunate incident.”

MM College of Commerce, Pune, secured a spot in the semi-finals of the Red Bull Campus Cricket 2014 national finals with a 52-run win against Sports College Lucknow in Chandigarh

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Feb-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShubham Ranjane smacked 28 off 11 for MMCC•ESPNcricinfo LtdMM College of Commerce, Pune, secured a spot in the semi-finals of the Red Bull Campus Cricket 2014 national finals with a 52-run win against Sports College Lucknow in Chandigarh. Sports College are out of the competition.MMCC chose to bat and their top five all contributed cameos to help the side to 155 for 6. Opener Vishant More was the top-scorer with 46, while Shubham Ranjane provided the late burst with 28 not out off 11, including two fours and two sixes. Karan Singh was the most effective of the Sports College bowlers with 3 for 26.Sports College were off to a poor start in the chase, falling to 18 for 4 in five overs. They didn’t recover, with only three batsmen getting into double digits, with a high of 37 from Govind Yadav – Yadav was also the only Sports College batsmen to score at over a run-a-ball. MMCC’s bowlers shared the wickets around, eventually bowling Sports College out in the 19th over for 103.

Krishmar Santokie is hoping that his Man-of-the-Match performance over England in the second T20 victory will be enough to force him into the West Indies starting XI come the World T20 title defence in Bangladesh

Renaldo Matadeen in Barbados12-Mar-2014Krishmar Santokie is hoping that his Man-of-the-Match performance over England in the second T20 victory will be enough to force him into the West Indies starting XI come the World T20 title defence in Bangladesh.Santokie claimed 4 for 21 and proved very troublesome from the onset via a disciplined spell that pegged England to 21 for 2 by their fourth over after electing to bat. West Indies edged home in a close five-wicket win to seal the series and Santokie said his confidence had grown and he was ready to be thrust on to the big stage.”I’ve only played four games so far but let’s hope after this performance, I can be a consistent performer in the team,” Santokie said. “I bowl wicket-to-wicket as most batsmen like to free their hands so I keep it close to the batters, not giving them any width. Making my debut [against England] a couple years ago, it was good to come back and play them again and win the Man-of-the-Match. It was fantastic.”Krishmar Santokie hopes his performance will help him gain a place in the starting line-up at the World T20•AFPWith Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy and Dwayne Bravo again struggling for economy, Santokie said he felt no extra pressure coming to the fore against England. He said despite his lack of international inexperience, he was not intimidated and said that he wanted to improve the versatility of the team to boost their chances of repeating as World T20 champions.Santokie said the key to his strong performance was spending a lot of time assessing the pitch conditions and also studying footage of the England batsmen, something he has focused on since being recalled to the team.”I wouldn’t say there’s extra pressure [on me] because we have a good all-round team,” he said. “All our players have their part to play and so do I, if given the opportunity. I just need to remain confident and be positive at all times. After watching the first game on Sunday, I got a few ideas and watched some videos of the batters so I have an idea of how to bowl to them – the areas they like and the areas they don’t. I just made sure I bowled in the right areas today.”He said that Samuel Badree’s early pressure on the England batsmen reduced the boundary count which allowed him to persist with slower deliveries to stymie England’s charge. Santokie also added that batsmen viewing him as a bowler within the medium-to-slow end of the spectrum often proved to his benefit.Santokie said it was “very disappointing” to have missed out on T20 opportunities in the past for West Indies despite “performing over and over” but said he was now eager to grasp any available opportunity. He was the leading wicket-taker and Player of the Tournament in last year’s inaugural Caribbean Premier League with 16 wickets and was labelled as “the best bowler that isn’t playing West Indies cricket” by his coach, Curtly Ambrose, with the Guyana Amazon Warriors.He said he found no difficulties in making the transition from the regional to international stage via several domestic seasons playing against the likes of Chris Gayle and Dwayne Smith. “I’ve played for the West Indies Under-15 as well as Jamaica’s Under-15 and Under-19s and also, for the last five years in the Caribbean T20,” Santokie said. “I also played club cricket in England for six years and from all this cricket, I don’t see any problem moving to the international stage. It’s about how you go out there and perform on the day.”

Pakistan recalled allrounders Shoaib Malik and Abdul Razzaq in the Twenty20 squad for the two-match series against South Africa in the UAE

Umar Farooq05-Nov-2013Shoaib Malik and Abdul Razzaq have been recalled in Pakistan’s Twenty20 squad for the two-match series against South Africa in the UAE. The selectors left out Asad Ali, Anwar Ali, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed and Zulfiqar Babar from the squad that featured in the T20s against Zimbabwe.Malik was part of the squad that played the solitary T20 match during the South Africa tour and played the Champions Trophy in England, but he was dropped from the team for the tours of West Indies and Zimbabwe. In August, he played in the inaugural edition of the Caribbean Premier League and finished as the leading run-getter.Razzaq, 33, has been out of favour since the 2012 T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka following his outburst against captain Mohammad Hafeez after which he was fined Rs. 1 lakh and sidelined from the squad. Overall, Razzaq has played 30 T20s during which he has scored 383 runs at a strike rate of 119.68 and has taken 20 wickets.Saleem Jaffar, the PCB selector, told reporters: “Both Razzaq and Malik have the ability to strengthen team before the World T20 because of their experience and ability in this version and that is why they have been selected.”Razzaq is a useful cricketer and we felt he can play a good role in upcoming matches against the tough South African side. Although he is not in the same touch with his bowling, his batting can be very useful especially in Twenty20 and in conditions such as in UAE.”With the return of the two experienced allrounders, the younger players, who had been given chances over the last five months, have been pushed out, with only Sohaib Maqsood and Umar Amin left in the team from the group.Umar Akmal, who was added to the one-day squad in the UAE after missing out on the tour to Zimbabwe, has been added to the T20 squad and will take up the role of the wicketkeeper. Zulfiqar Babar was ruled out of selection because of the hand-injury he suffered during the recently concluded Test series.Jaffar said there were no concerns about Akmal’s glovework and believes he can be a long-term option. “We don’t feel he is a part-time wicketkeeper particularly in Twenty20. He is looking comfortable and happy in this role. Our experience with him in ODIs is also positive. He can get a permanent role as a wicketkeeper in T20s.”Squad Mohammad Hafeez (capt), Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal (wk), Umar Amin, Shahid Afridi, Sohaib Maqsood, Abdul Razzaq, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Malik, Abdur Rehman
In: Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Akmal, Abdur Rehman
Out: Asad Ali, Anwar Ali, Haris Sohail, Zulfiqar Babar, Sarfraz Ahmed

A round-up of the Ranji Trophy Group A matches played on January 6, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jan-2015
ScorecardManoj Tiwary’s fifty led Bengal’s reply against Tamil Nadu•PTI Irfan Pathan made his comeback to first-class cricket by scoring 98 runs which helped lead Baroda to a strong score of 498. Baroda spinner Swapnil Singh’s also chipped in with a fifty on the second day in Lucknow. Uttar Pradesh’s steady reply was led by an unbeaten fifty from opener Tanmay Srivastava as they finished the day trailing by 395 runs.Baroda, 316 for 6 overnight, had Irfan on 15 and lost Penal Shah after he added only four runs to his overnight score. Swapnil joined Irfan with the score at 320 for 7 and they stitched a partnership of 139 runs to propel Baroda past 450. Playing a first-class match after more than a year, Irfan’s 98 featured 12 fours before he was bowled by Ali Murtaza. Swapnil went on to bat with the tail, scoring an unbeaten 73 with eight fours and three sixes. Murtaza took the last two wickets and finished with 4 for 103.UP’s opening stand of 49 was broken when Yusuf Pathan had Akash Verma caught for 12. However, Srivastava’s 69 not out, with Mukul Dagar, steered them to 103 for 1.
ScorecardPrasanna unlikely for rest of the match with injury

Tamil Nadu captain R Prasanna had to be stretchered off the field after colliding with Bengal’s Ashok Dinda at the non-striker’s end at Eden Gardens. Prasanna suffered a lower back injury and was straightaway taken to a hospital. Scans revealed he had a bulge in the disc. He is unlikely to play any further part in the match.

Manoj Tiwary’s unbeaten fifty led Bengal’s reply after Tamil Nadu lost their last four wickets for 38 runs on the second morning in Kolkata to be dismissed for 246. Bengal ended the day 63 runs behind TN after good starts from their top four batsmen who steered them to a solid 183 for 2.TN were 208 for 5 overnight but Ashok Dinda struck in the first over the of day to remove R Sathish. Laxmipathy Balaji’s 25-ball 2 kept the wickets at bay for nearly eight overs but medium-pacer Pritam Chakraborty’s two quick wickets reduced them to 228 for 8. TN were dented further when their captain R Prasanna retired hurt just after reaching his fifty, at the score of 236 and a run-out ended their innings in the 89th over. Dinda finished with 4 for 76.Bengal openers Rohan Banerjee and Arindam Das put on a solid opening stand of 74, which was broken by Balaji, when he trapped Arindam lbw for 48. Banerjee also fell seven overs later but Abhimanyu Easwaran (41*) and Tiwary (54*) put Bengal in a position of strength with an unbeaten stand of 81 runs.Karnataka v Jammu & Kashmir: Uthappa 156 powers Karnataka
Mumbai v Madhya Pradesh: Rawat, Jalaj Saxena lead MP’s fightback

Alastair Cook admitted to the “lowest moment” of his career as England slumped to Ashes defeat in Perth and said several members of his side would be “playing for their future” in the remaining two games of the series.

George Dobell at the WACA17-Dec-20130:00

‘Australia batted England into submission’

Alastair Cook admitted to the “lowest moment” of his career as England slumped to Ashes defeat in Perth and said several members of his side would be “playing for their future” in the remaining two games of the series.The England captain said conceding a 3-0 lead in the five-match series “hurts like hell” and described the dressing room as “a tough place to be”. It is Cook’s first series loss as captain and England’s first Ashes loss in four series stretching back to 2006-07.But while accepting that “inquests” into the defeat were inevitable, Cook appealed for calm before conclusions are made about the reasons for the loss. In particular, Cook was keen to defend Andy Flower and refuted any suggestion that the England coach should step down.”I want him to carry on,” Cook said. “He’s an outstanding coach and an outstanding person. He’s a great person to have around, especially for me, as a captain and the advice he gives me. It’s not down to him why we’ve lost this. It’s down to the fact we haven’t had enough players in form.”Cook, who has averaged just 26.93 in his last eight Tests against Australia, also reasserted his determination to continue as captain, though he accepted he needed to reflect on some of his tactics and that there would be “people questioning my place”.”There’s always going to be theories,” he said. “There’s always going to be inquests when you lose. The simple fact of the matter is we haven’t had enough players in form with either bat or ball. People in the dressing room know that.”It’s a tough place my batting. I’m putting the work in but not quite getting the results. You can see the feet aren’t always going in the right place. I’ve had a couple of very good balls as well, which doesn’t help. And when I have got in at Brisbane and here, I haven’t gone on to make a bigger score.Alastair Cook admitted that senior players hadn’t performed so far in this series and will be playing for their places in the rest of the series•Getty Images”But I don’t think the captaincy is affecting my batting. There’s always a strain, but the challenge of being a captain is trying to deal with it. I can honestly say that when I go out there as a batter, I’m thinking as a batter. My mind is not thinking about what’s going on elsewhere.”Of course, if other people who make the decisions don’t think that way, we have to go by that decision. When you lose the Ashes in the way we’ve lost, there will always be people questioning my place and all that kind of stuff. That’s the first place you always look when you lose. As a captain, the buck stops with you. I have to look at am I managing the players right? Am I doing the right things out in the middle? We have to have some honest chats.”Cook also defended his players, despite admitting that several senior figures had endured undistinguished series and that many would be playing for their futures in the remaining two games of the series.”The first thing you do when you lose is look at the hunger and the desire. I can honestly say in our dressing room, both are there. We just haven’t had the skills to match it. Sport is not about trying at all; it’s about delivering. We know we tried as hard as we could and we haven’t delivered.”It’s not just Anderson and Swann who haven’t performed. A lot of us senior batters haven’t performed as well. It’s incredibly frustrating – I know as a batter when you’re not delivering what you’re capable of – there’s not a worse place to be as a player.”I’ll never feel let down by any of the lads that go out there and put on an England shirt. I look into their eyes and I see what they do in training. The way they go about their business and the effort, you don’t see all that.”I’m never going to be embarrassed. We haven’t been good enough, that’s the reason we lost. I’ll never be embarrassed for the way we go about things and the effort the lads put in. It’s a hard thing to say when you’ve been beaten and you deserve to get beaten. It’s never good to admit it, but we have.”When you lose, or even when you win, there’s so many good players around in England wanting to be in the 11 spots we presently hold. So we are always playing for our future. There’s always a balancing act with sides when you lose with trying to introduce new players. Are they better than the players you have?”