Alastair Cook: I'm ready to fend off the demons this time

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10 April 2012

Alastair Cook is living proof that a successful Ashes series can reshape an England cricketer's career. At the end of last summer, Cook's Test place was under serious threat, yet after his remorseless batting in the winter, the opener's future in the side has never been more secure and he has also been named captain of his country's one-day team.

Cook's 766 runs in Australia were bettered only by Wally Hammond in 1928/29 and were one of the cornerstones of England's 3-1 Test series win, their first Down Under since 1987.

Having missed the World Cup because he was not selected, Cook returns to international cricket tomorrow, when the First Test against Sri Lanka begins at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.

Cook knows, however, that the demons that were so evident in his batting against Pakistan last summer are never far away.

Tormented by Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, Cook looked to have hit a wall both technically and mentally, which made his work in Australia even more noteworthy.

"There is never such a smooth path," admitted Cook. "Last summer was a very important time for me, to deal with that, and at other stages in my career I imagine I'll have to deal with it again. That is part of being a batsman. You go through those peaks and troughs in form and it's about how you deal with them and how you come through each one.

"In Australia, things went a lot better than I could ever have dreamed of, and to deliver as well as I did was hugely satisfying and something I can take a lot of confidence from. However, we all know how quickly it can change.

"We've got Sri Lanka coming up now and then India later in the summer, the World Cup finalists and the winners respectively, so they're two hugely strong sides. The Ashes captures everyone's imagination but if we want to be the number one side in the world we have to beat these top teams."

Cook's reticent demeanour in public is thought to contrast sharply with his quiet confidence within the England squad. It was these leadership qualities that ensured the 26-year-old was identified quickly as a future Test captain, and Cook's status as Andrew Strauss's likeliest successor was cemented when he was made England's permanent one-day captain on May 5.

Cook was not considered good enough for a place in England's 15-man World Cup party, so it was a slight surprise to some to see him given control of that team. With Stuart Broad now in charge of the Twenty20 team, England have an unprecedented three captains to try to cope with the increasing demands of international cricket.

Cook is a fan of both rugby and darts and claims to find it easy to switch off from cricket but he has experienced the extra pressure leadership brings to a player when he replaced the resting Strauss for the tour of Bangladesh early last year. "When you're captain, you do go to bed with a little bit more on your mind," added Cook.

"You're thinking about what's going to happen tomorrow, decisions, what tactics are going to work best, and that is part of the extra responsibility.

"I did enjoy it, though, and it was a really good learning curve not only for me but for the other players to know how to respond to a different captain. Everyone was used to having Straussy around so it was quite a big thing for everyone.

"We have a lot more 'thinking' cricketers in the team now, though, than when I started. People feel comfortable with their positions, especially in the Test team and comfortable with making suggestions.

"I think I'm getting closer than I was to having a game for all forms of cricket. I'm a much better player now than when I played regularly for England as a one-day player.

"The longer form of the game probably suits me a bit more so I've had to try to expand and I think I have done that. Over the last few years I've been successful for Essex and during those games I did play in Bangladesh I scored some runs."

More responsibility means more cricket and while Cook is happy with his greater involvement he has a warning for the game's rulers who continue to pack the international calendar.

England are unlikely again to have to tackle an Ashes tour and a World Cup in the same winter but their programme remains similarly heavy.

This summer, they play seven Tests, two Twenty20 matches and 11 50-over games, and they have away series' against India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the autumn and winter.

"Squad rotation might be the option, because a lot of lads came home from five months on tour, and your body can't sustain that sort of intensity, especially if you're a fast bowler," Cook added.

"It's not the best scheduling ever when you have a huge Ashes series followed by a World Cup. I don't think that's great and whoever makes these decisions needs to look at it to protect the uniqueness of cricket.

"If it's on all the time and you're playing every day, you can lose the spark.

"We're lucky that we get huge support whether we're in England or on tour and we're very grateful for that. But there are issues. In other parts of the world, Test cricket isn't as well supported at the grounds, and it's something the International Cricket Council and the boards need to look at, because we want people to watch Test cricket.

"It's still the ultimate form. It's the only game which tests everything and it's still definitely the pinnacle.

"In the future, there might be these shot-makers who want to play Twenty20 but you're not really a true cricketer until you can master the other stuff as well."

Cook proved himself worthy of that description during the winter Down Under and it means he will not rest until he has helped England achieve their goal of becoming the world's strongest team.

Alastair Cook is an ambassador for Samsung's Series 9 notebook which includes the new 2nd Generation Intel Core i5 processor, and combines smart PC performance and seamless visuals.

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