Alastair Cook contemplates his future as England skipper

A DEVASTATED Alastair Cook has given the strongest hint that he will resign the one-day captaincy.

A DEVASTATED Alastair Cook gave the strongest hint that he will resign the one-day captaincy - and possibly the Test leadership as well - after the Australia tour went from bad to worse yesterday.

Having been whitewashed 5-0 in the Ashes, England surrendered the one-day series when they lost by seven wickets in Sydney to give Australia an unassailable 3-0 lead. If they lose the fourth match in Perth on Friday, they will equal their worst run of ten defeats in a row across both formats.

Cook looked shattered and sounded more downbeat than ever as he refused to recommit to the job, in contrast to his insistence after the Test series that he intends to stay on and make good the results of the winter.

Speaking specifically about his future as leader of the one-day side, Cook said: "I am going to have to make a decision on that stuff after we take stock after the next two games. We will sit down and talk over a lot of things.

"I think there will be some changes. I think English cricket needs a little bit of change as well. In the last few months we have not played the cricket we are capable of playing, so we will have to look at the reasons why. I cannot answer the question now because we are in the middle of a series and I do not know what I am going to feel like when I get home."

Asked whether he would also consider his position with the Test side, Cook said: "It is two weeks since someone asked that question and a lot has happened in those two weeks. We have kept losing games of cricket and I have not been able to turn it around."

The one-day series ends in Adelaide on Sunday, and Cook pledged to see out the remaining two matches. "I have a job to do to try to turn this around and win one of these games," he said. "I am competitive, I do not want to leave anything out on the pitch. I would not ever question why I shouldn't be in these next two games."

His captaincy attracted criticism even before the series began, with Shane Warne among those saying that he should be more attacking. The latest gripes followed the one-wicket loss in Brisbane on Friday, when James Faulkner and Clint McKay added 57 for the last wicket and Cook used Ben Stokes, the inexperienced batting all-rounder, to bowl two overs late on.

"It has not been the most pleasant 48 hours," Cook said. "That is what comes as a captain with losing games in Australia for 3 and a half months. It is not a great place to be. We deserve the stick we get because we have not won games."

Eoin Morgan would be a strong candidate to take over as the one-day captain, even though Stuart Broad is a regular player and already leads the Twenty20 side. There is no obvious successor for the Test job, with Ian Bell and Broad in contention.

Michael Vaughan has suggested that Kevin Pietersen be given more responsibility, although reports suggest that Cook no longer wants him in the side. After the Ashes, Cook refused to be drawn on Pietersen's future as he sees it.

Cook clearly needs a break before discussing his position with Andy Flower, the team director, and Paul Downton, the managing director of England Cricket. He is due to be rested for the three one-day internationals in West Indies, in February and March.

The Times