Down on the farm with Alastair Cook

Aside from a guest appearance at the National Television Awards, Alastair Cook's heroic return to England following his Ashes-conquering exploits has been typically low-key. He's spent much of his time on his girlfriend's farm in Leighton Buzzard, driving tractors, shooting deer and being recognised by bewildered passers-by on quiet country lanes. He talks about his post-Australia days in an interview with Martin Samuel in the Daily Mail

'What happened this winter has proved to me I can do something special, playing at the highest level,' he says. 'I do not know how it will affect me from here, but, if this doesn't give me confidence, nothing will. I've never been man of the series before, I've only been man of the match twice, but now I know if I get it right I can be there with the best in the...,' he trails off, '...thing.'