Time to pension off the seniors?

Jul 24, 2014: If England are going to win nothing, history suggests it might be worth their while to win nothing with kids

India in England 2014

England need Cook the batsman - Waugh

Jul 22, 2014: Steve Waugh, the former Australia captain, has said England captain Alastair Cook will know "deep down" that captaincy is affecting his cricket, and stressed England needed Cook more as a batsman

England v India, 2nd Investec Test, Lord's 5th day

England seem to have forgotten about personality

Jul 21, 2014: They have to see a glass that is half-full, and play the game as if it is just that, a game; and an opportunity

England v India, 2nd Investec Test, Lord's, 5th day

Three Tests to save Cook's captaincy

Jul 21, 2014: Alastair Cook admitted his position as captain will become "untenable" if he cannot arrest his slump in batting form within the next three Tests.

England v India, 2nd Investec Test, Lord's 5th day

Hapless England victims of failing system

Jul 21, 2014: Previous England inadequacies were masked by a handful of excellent players but now the national side are showing the results of an environment too cosy for those whose faces fit and one that ostracises the rest

England v India, 2nd Investec Test, Lord's, 5th day

Cook reiterates he is no quitter

Jul 21, 2014: Alastair Cook, England's beleaguered captain, reiterated his desire to stay in the job after defeat to India at Lord's extended the team's winless run to ten matches

England v India, 2nd Investec Test, Lord's, 4th day

Farbrace defends senior players

Jul 20, 2014: Paul Farbrace insisted England's senior players could not be praised highly enough despite recent results at the close of play on the fourth day of the second Investec Test at Lord's

England v India, 2nd Investec Test, Lord's, 4th day

Scars of the old era haunt England

Jul 20, 2014: It will take something remarkable for England to chase down their target and the more evidence that is displayed suggests more fresh faces need to brought into the team in place of mentally scarred seniors

England v India, 2nd Investec Test, Lord's, 4th day

Another battle, another defeat on Planet Al

Jul 20, 2014: Alastair Cook has got used to feeling of the axe hanging over him. Only his team-mates can save England now

England v India, 2nd Investec Test, Lord's, 2nd day

Cook's descent into private hell

Jul 18, 2014: Eventually, with the batting failures accumulating and his captaincy not compensating, the reasons for persisting with Alastair Cook are wearing out

England v India, 1st Investec Test, Trent Bridge, 5th day

Burnout worries after deathly slog

Jul 13, 2014: The opening Test ended with the levity of Alastair Cook taking a Test wicket in a match where his captaincy showed encouraging signs but England should be assisted more by their system rather than hindered

England v India, 1st Investec Test, Trent Bridge, 5th day

Signs a corner has been turned by England

Jul 13, 2014: The hosts appeared to play with a different attitude at Trent Bridge. No longer was there a sense that the game owed them. They just got on with it and Alastair Cook played the match with a smile on his face

Dhoni wins the first round in the captaincy battle

Jul 13, 2014: India's and England's captains have both taken some inexplicable decisions in the first Test at Trent Bridge. But Dhoni managed to take advantage of the hosts' frail line-up

England v India, 1st Investec Test, Trent Bridge, 2nd day

The joy of one, the pain of another

Jul 10, 2014: The No. 11 of India's order did something the No. 1 of England's order can only dream of at the moment: score a Test fifty

England v India, 1st Investec Test, Trent Bridge, 2nd day

Cook's dismissal betrays frazzled mind

Jul 10, 2014: Some may say that the England captain's dismissal was unlucky, but it was the latest example of the demons he is battling as the form slump grows longer

England v India, 1st Investec Test, Trent Bridge

Cook's captaincy future on the line

Jul 8, 2014: Alastair Cook's qualities as England captain have been widely debated. England's five-Test series against India is about to determine his future

India in England 2014

Five key head-to-heads

Jul 7, 2014: From two embattled captains to the challenge for India's openers against the new ball, ESPNcricinfo picks five contests that could determine the series

India in England 2014

Defensive captains' extended test

Jul 3, 2014: The duration of the Test series will allow Alastair Cook and MS Dhoni to reassess the strategies, or provide enough time to get thoroughly exposed

India in England 2014

Shastri wants India to 'go for' Cook

Jul 1, 2014: Ravi Shastri has called on India to make Alastair Cook's life "as tough as they can" when the Investec Test series between England and India gets underway next week at Trent Bridge

Indecisive Cook hurting England

Jun 29, 2014: The team's constant failure to convert good positions has led to players losing confidence in their captain