Cook hits back over Warne’s captaincy attack

It is an occupational hazard for Cook, as an opening batsman and latterly Test captain, to rise above ‘verbal disintegration’ on and off the field.

He is in no doubt, at the start of England’s Ashes campaign, that Warne is fooling no-one by revisiting last summer’s damning critique of his captaincy just when the tourists are fine-tuning their plans to try to win the urn for a fourth successive time.

Record-breaking Australian wicket-taker Warne, from his new position behind the microphone, first trained his sights on Cook just before England surged into a 3-0 lead in the Ashes at Durham three months ago.

This time, Warne has suggested Cook’s “negative” and “boring” captaincy could lose the urn for England – and is also predicting that rising star Joe Root will be “crucified” by Australia’s seamers if the tourists keep the young Yorkshireman at the top of the order on fast and bouncy pitches Down Under.

On the eve of England’s four-day match against Australia A in Hobart, the second of their trip after an opening draw in Perth, Cook was prepared to go into bat for himself and his opening partner Root against Warne’s ‘googlies’.

He does admit, however, it perhaps goes against human nature to shrug off criticism.

“When someone makes a comment about you, it does change your blood pressure slightly,” he said. “No-one in the world can say it doesn’t but I’m pretty confident and pretty skilful at being able to handle it, because over the past seven years I have done it pretty well.”

Mental toughness is a quality no professional cricketer, certainly at Test level, can be without.

“One of the skills you need as an international cricketer, compared to being just a county player, is having to deal with this situation,” said Cook.

“There is a lot more interest in what’s going on, and how you handle yourself is whether you make the grade or not.”

Cook acknowledges there are alternatives to his and England’s winning formula of grinding out success, but does not appear likely to start trying to mend something as yet unbroken.

“I’ve always said I’m trying to learn on the job and there will be times where I could be slightly more imaginative and think slightly differently if the situation arises but we’ve had a pretty good run so far as a Test side.”