Cook opens up on captaincy exit

Former England skipper Alastair Cook has opened up about his decision to give up the Test captaincy, hoping the move will allow him to have a couple of "gun years" with the bat.

Cook stood down as England Test captain in February following intense speculation he would call quits on his record-breaking 59 Tests in charge after his side was thrashed 4-0 in India in late 2016.

The 32-year-old said he first felt doubt over his ability to keep leading England during the drawn Test series against Pakistan last winter and from there the thought never left his mind.

"I started questioning myself on certain decisions, not just tactically on the pitch, but with leadership in general," Cook told The Times UK about that Pakistan series.

"There is so much about this team. You don’t win an Ashes series (in 2015), having been such heavy underdogs as we were, and win them the way we did, and then go on and beat South Africa (in South Africa), like we did, without having a huge amount about you, but last year we didn’t push on from that. Not to beat Pakistan was disappointing.

"The question that I kept coming back to was, ‘Am I leading the team forward?’

"After doing it for quite a long time, the stuff you say, because of who you are, you end up saying the same stuff in a slightly different way.

"I started questioning what was going to happen over the next few years. The dream of captaining the team to Australia was certainly there, and in my mind I thought that it would have been a nice way to finish the captaincy.

"It was when we had a break in Dubai between the third and fourth Tests in India that I came back to that question.

"Sometimes getting away and outside the team bubble can help and our hotel was out in the sticks. We didn’t see any of the guys. When I came back, it was quite clear in my mind.

"Then came a couple of heavy defeats. By the time of leaving the field at the end of the final Test, I would have been very surprised if I captained again, though nobody knew that."

Cook, England’s most capped Test captain and highest Test run-scorer, will continue on as a batsman under his former deputy Joe Root.

Now without the selection security blanket of the captaincy, the prospect of his career coming to a close at any moment and starring solely as an opener are what continues to motivate the prolific left-hander.

"Because I’m no longer captain, I have to accept that I am now in the latter stages of my career, however long that may be," he said.

"How many more times will I walk out at Lord’s? How many more times will I go on an Ashes tour? I really want to keep doing these things, so I will have to work hard.

"I’m motivated by the idea of producing match-defining performances.

"And you’d hope that at 32, you’re a better player than when you started. It would be nice to have a couple of gun years."

England’s first Test assignment in the ‘Root era’ is a five-match series against South Africa at home starting in July before hosting the West Indies.

After that: the Ashes. 

Ashes ticket sales key dates

May 1: Tickets on sale to ACF Gold members

May 3: Tickets on sale to all ACF members

May 8: Tickets on sale to the general public

Click here to join the Australian Cricket Family. FAQs about the ACF can be found here

2017-18 International Fixtures:

Men's Ashes Series

First Test Gabba, November 23-27

Second Test Adelaide Oval, December 2-6 (Day-Night)

Third Test Perth TBC, December 14-18

Fourth Test MCG, December 26-30

Fifth Test SCG, January 4-8 (Pink Test)

ODI Series v England

First ODI MCG, January 14

Second ODI Gabba, January 19

Third ODI SCG, January 21

Fourth ODI Adelaide Oval, January 26

Fifth ODI Perth TBC, January 28

Prime Minister's XI

PM's XI v England Manuka Oval, February 2

T20 trans-Tasman Tri-Series

First T20I Australia v NZ, SCG, February 3

Second T20I – Australia v England, Blundstone Arena, February 7

Third T20I – Australia v England, MCG, February 10

Fourth T20I – NZ v England, Wellington, February 14

Fifth T20I – NZ v Australia, Eden Park, February 16

Sixth T20I – NZ v England, Seddon Park, February 18

Final – TBC, Eden Park, February 21