|| Desk Report ||

Former England captain Alastair Cook revealed his regret at how the Kevin Pietersen saga panned out back in 2014. The right-handed batsman was dropped from the English after they lost 5-0 in the 2013-14 Ashes.

The reason for his jettison was that he didn’t support then captain Cook. While the left-handed opener might not have taken the final decision, he did play a part in the decision-making process and admits that the situation wasn’t handled properly.

"It could have been handled differently," said Cook. "I have a regret over it, it wasn't great for English cricket. The end of the Sri Lanka series and the Lord's Test, that was the lowest I was."

After losing against Sri Lanka on English soil, Cook’s England then went on to lose the Lord’s Test against India, which saw them 1-0 down after the first match of the series.

At that time, there were calls for Cook to resign from his role as captain but the left-handed batsman was resolute and continued leading the side despite the serve criticism laid out against him.

"The fall-out of that wasn't great for English cricket and wasn't great for me. I was involved in that decision without being the bloke who actually made the final decision."

In the end, England won the series 3-1 against India and some of the pride was restored. He also led England to their second Ashes success under him as they regained the prestigious trophy the following summer.