Cook's task to revive England's parrot

It has been a year of fresh starts for England but Alastair Cook is ready for another one. The revival of the Test side, 3-1 winners over India during the summer, has been put on hold and Cook must attempt an even more ambitious resurrection act: overseeing a credible England challenge at the forthcoming World Cup.

England's chances have been proclaimed as dead as Monty Python's Norwegian blue and Cook must be sick as a parrot at constantly having to defend himself and the team. At Lord's, however, he cut a dash and cracked a smile, suggesting playfully that the only technical issue he had been working on was learning to bat right-handed. When asked if he was the best man to lead England, despite vocal detractors, he politely pointed to that fact he was captain when they were ranked No. 1 in 2012.

What had been a slate-grey morning in north London gave way to blue skies and puffy clouds, and Cook will hope the forecast for England is improving, too. Conditions in Sri Lanka, for which the team departs on Sunday ahead of a seven-match ODI series, will present considerable challenges - possibly including heavy seasonal rainfall - but the tour also promises an opportunity to reinvigorate England's one-day fortunes.

Those stocks have been on the slide since before an Ashes tour that sent ripples through the following season, although Cook could have also have mentioned last year's Champions Trophy campaign in his defence, after coming within an ace of bringing England their first global 50-over trophy. Unsurprisingly, Cook was not holding a firesale of England manuals on ODI strategy, focusing instead on his own form and creating the right atmosphere for his players to successfully gel.

"We haven't won the last couple of series so we do have to improve the way we play," he said. "I don't think it is a radical change of method but what I do know is that I have been light of runs at the top of the order for the last 12 months but the times before that when I have scored heavily at the top of the order we got really good totals. So, to me, it is down to every single individual player playing to the peak of their potential then we have a real good chance at the World Cup.

"You talk about strategy, you talk about the way you want to bat - to me it's about individuals in the team playing as well as they can and if we get to that place, peaking at the right time, then we have a really good chance."

It is hard to ever imagine Cook in "radical" mood, particularly when wearing his England blazer and tie. He has been steadily holding course, keeping a grip on the tiller, over the last few months and the sight of India piling up 400 in an ODI against England's next opponents had not altered his thinking.

"At certain times, with certain conditions you are going to have to play like that. In the last three years or so, rather than 250 being par it has gone up a little bit more. I don't think it has gone up as much as people have made out. There has occasionally been a freaky score, like the 400s and 450s but it isn't as much as everyone thinks. But it is an important part of the game how we go out there and bat."

Cook has not scored an ODI century in three years, so it is perhaps asking a bit much for him to swan out to the middle and emulate Rohit Sharma over the next few weeks. "Those scores are made in sub-continental conditions," he said. "All those four double-hundreds have been made by Indian players batting in Indian conditions. That tells you if you are going to play in India you have to score big runs. Rohit was saying 350 was par on that wicket. In certain times you have to play like that."

England's highest individual score in ODIs remains the 167 made by Robin Smith against Australia in 1993 and you have to go back slightly further for the last time they made a significant impression at a World Cup, when they were beaten finalists in 1992 - also the last time it was held in Australia and New Zealand. One of the reasons for scheduling the back-to-back Ashes that were so debilitating for England was to give the team a clear run at this tournament and, with six months of one-day specific preparation, Cook accepts there can be no excuses for another poor showing.

In that regard, it is unfortunate that England still do not know their best XI. The Sri Lanka tour will hopefully answer a few questions about selection, in particular the make-up of the top three and a favoured batting order, while the absence of James Anderson and Stuart Broad will give opportunities for the bowlers.

"In an ideal world, if cricket was played on paper and in theory, it would be great if we had a consistent side with a year to go and everyone knew their roles," Cook said. "That would be perfect but it hasn't quite happened like that. For the first two-and-a-half years since the last World Cup we played some excellent one-day cricket and for the last year we haven't and there are some factors in that.

"I don't know how many are nailed on so that gives everyone an opportunity. We have 15 going to Sri Lanka and a couple out injured who will probably go to the World Cup if fit so the competition for places is exciting. They will be desperate to put in performances in Sri Lanka to get on that plane."

Barring a few training sessions at Loughborough, the players have had a rare break from the game and Cook looked as if he has benefited from some time on the farm. Now it is time to get his hand really dirty.