Anderson feared Cook would quit

Jimmy Anderson says he thought captain Alastair Cook was going to stand down at some points of what has been a turbulent 18 months for the England skipper.

Cook's England side are the toast of a nation this week following their stunning Ashes series win, which was secured by consecutive victories inside three days.

But their Ashes triumph has come off the back of a disappointing period for English cricket, which included an Ashes whitewash in Australia, a World Cup exit in the group stages and disappointing results in Test series against Sri Lanka, West Indies and New Zealand.

England have been under the watch of four different coaches in that time - Andy Flower, Peter Moores, caretaker Paul Farbrace and Trevor Bayliss - while the side has also had to deal with the controversy created by the exile of former captain Kevin Pietersen.

And Cook, who was axed as ODI captain just months before the World Cup, has copped his fair share of criticism in that time.

Cook reflects on England's Ashes victory

The opener has been targeted for his perceived negative captaincy while his once prolific run-scoring also slowed during this period, going almost two years and 36 Test innings without a century.

Anderson, one of Cook's most reliable on-field allies during his captaincy, said there were times when he thought the pressure would become too much for his captain.

"I'll be honest, there were times when I thought Cooky was going to quit as captain," Anderson wrote in The Sun.

"His leadership was criticised, even his personality was vilified. He was subjected to all manner of attacks.

"But he never lost the respect and support of his players and has now become only the third man after WG Grace and Mike Brearley to captain England to two Ashes successes at home.

"Cooky has certainly endued some low points, such as us being whitewashed in Australia, losing to Sri Lanka at Headingley last summer, being beaten by India at Lord’s and having the one-day captaincy taken away from him.

Anderson takes six wickets at Edgbaston

"The way he spoke at times, he sounded as though he'd had enough of the scrutiny and pressure. He could easily have walked away.

"A less-determined man would have done but he was always thinking about the best interests of the team.

"If Cooky believed the stress he was under was affecting the team, he’d have stood down but he believed he should absorb the pressure himself and deflect it away from the players."

Anderson praised Cook for pushing through the criticism, adding he hoped the 30-year-old would continue in the job for a few more years to come.

"Thankfully he stuck with the job. What a great decision and now I hope he remains England Test captain for at least another couple of years," he wrote.

"Some people might think it’s a good time for him to stand down now. After all, what can top an Ashes win?

"But we have two very tough tours this winter in the UAE and South Africa. They would be very difficult for any new captain. I hope Cooky stays. I think he will."

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