Alastair Cook willing to lead England in World Cup despite failures

Alastair Cook after going down by 9 wickets against India in the 4th ODI at Edgbaston.

The under-fire Engalnd captain Alastair Cook suffered a 5th consecutive loss in One Day Internationals when his side went down without a fight against the young Indian side at Edgbaston. Despite former England players and cricket experts calling for his head, Cook is committed to lead England in the 2015 World Cup Down Under.

"If I'm allowed to be, yes,” said Cook when questioned whether he will lead his team at the global event scheduled for February.

"I don't have a say on selection, but I've captained for three-and-a-half years with the goal to try to win the World Cup in Australia,” he added.

England looked clueless against spin and their batsmen struggled against genuine pace bowling early, which dismantled the heart of the England batting order. The team never got going as they lost wickets at regular intervals throughout the series.

“I know that seems a bit far-fetched at the moment when we're losing games of cricket, but there are a lot of really good players in that changing room. If we can improve at the rate we need to improve, we've got a chance," Cook said after the 9-wicket loss at Edgbatson, Birmingham.

Cook blames lack of execution

Even the side’s pace spearhead James Anderson never looked in control as all the bowlers erred in line in the 4th ODI against the visitors.

"Maybe for a few of these guys, it's the first time it's happened that we've lost as badly as this and it's a true test of character for the whole team, really," the 29-year-old stated.

"I don't think it's been our mind-set really. I think it's been our lack of execution of fairly basic skills at the moment with our batting," mentioned the skipper on his team’s problems, differing to the claims of “old-fashioned” approach from former players like Michael Vaughan and Graeme Swann.

"You only have to look at the dressing-room to see whether it matters or not now. Just because you put huge importance on Test cricket doesn't mean one-day cricket doesn't count.

"We've got a World Cup in six months. That's our big focus now. There is no Test cricket for six months, so it is very important," he concluded.

India pocked the series 3-0 with one match to play at Leeds. Calling the win as a ”complete game,” Indian captain MS Dhoni stressed on the importance of the away series win ahead of the all important World Cup.

"With the World Cup coming up, it is very important we start doing well outside the subcontinent," said the 2011 World Cup winning captain.