Graeme Swann has come to the defence of Alastair Cook following criticism of his captaincy after England’s last-gasp defeat to Sri Lanka at Headingley.
The former England and Nottinghamshire man has offered his full backing to Cook, slamming those critics for ‘jumping on bandwagons’.
“I thought the way Alastair Cook spoke after the Test match yesterday, he was really, really impressive,” said Swann.
“He was stoic and determined. He said ‘I don’t have a divine right to be captain, I believe I’m the right man for the job and I will get us through this’, so I think he’s facing up to the fact that he’s had some poor results. I think that’s important in the first instance.
“Those who take a backward step, and look at it, he’s the right man for the job, certainly for the short term future.
“Of course, in six months time he’s not scoring runs and we’re still losing, then it’s a different kettle of fish but for now Cooky has 100% of my backing.”
Cook has also found support from unlikelier circles, with notable figures inside the India camp expressing their confidence in his abilities. Former England coach Duncan Fletcher, showed his admiration for Cook’s resolve.
“I think he's a very determined individual,” he said.
“He's very, very determined which I think most opening bats have to be.
“In fact if you have a look at batters and pick them on their mental aspect one of them would be that they have to be determined and stubborn. And I think Alastair's got that.
"He's proved with the runs that he's got that's he's a very, very good opening batter.
“Too many people are quite happy to knock you off your pedestal and when you go through those bad times, keep knocking them. That's when you need their support."
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