"Ashley Giles has a huge job on his hands to turn around our fortunes in red-ball cricket" - Alastair Cook

Former England opener Alastair Cook thinks the think-tank of the ECB is to blame for their Ashes debacle. While everyone may perceive Chris Silverwood as culpable, he thinks the responsibility lies with Ashley Giles to revive England's fortunes in Test cricket.

Head coach Silverwood's position remains the most under scrutiny as England find themselves 3-0 down with two games to go. Silverwood, the coach and head selector, has faced criticism \for not picking players according to the conditions.

In his column for The Times, Cook believes it's unfair to label Silverwood a scapegoat when people above him are responsible. England's leading run-getter in Tests wrote:

"I was concerned by the decision earlier in the year to remove Ed Smith from his role as national selector and put most of the responsibility in the hands of the head coach Chris Silverwood."

"Silverwood may end up being the fall guy for this tour but decision-making above him needs to be scrutinised. Giles, the managing director of England men's cricket, has a huge job on his hands to turn around our fortunes in red-ball cricket."

Cook cited the example of Justin Langer, who turned around Australia's fortunes after last year's home series loss to India. He has now backed England to pull off something similar, writing:

"A year ago, Australia had lost to India at home and people were wondering whether Justin Langer was the right man to take his country forward. Now Langer has guided his side to a T20 World Cup title and a comprehensive Ashes victory. That is quite a turnaround. England are capable of a similar recovery. They need a reset first, though."

England's most disappointing aspect in the 3-0 loss has been their batting collapses in all three Tests. Captain Joe Root is the only England batter to average over 40, and the tourists have yet to reach 300 across six innings.

"Being 3-0 down and Ashes gone is an incredibly tough place for a captain" - Alastair Cook

Joe Root (Image Credits: Getty)

Alaistair Cook knows the pressure mounting on Joe Root as captain, who has done an average job since taking charge in 2017. The 37-year old endured an Ashes clean sweep as captain. Cook hopes the Yorkshire batter does not undergo the same.

"Speculation is also mounting around, the future of Joe Root as captain. Interestingly, he has been doing the job about 4½ years, which is roughly the same amount of time I had been in charge for when I stood down after the 4-0 loss in India in 2016."

"Being 3-0 down, the Ashes gone, it is an incredibly tough place for a captain. Joe will have to manage players, coaches, and support staff all with individual agendas. It is a lot for him to manage, and I hope he can do a better job than I did in 2013-14."

The fourth Ashes Test starts on Wednesday in Sydney.