England Test skipper Alastair Cook had admitted to walking away from the responsibility of captaining the side on several occasions but added that Ashes triumph over Australia at home in 2015 has once and for all ended any self-doubt he might have had regarding the thought, cricket.com.au reports.
Cook was stripped of the ODI captaincy just prior to the 2015 ICC World Cup and his career in the shorter formats of the game looks all but over. But it is the longest format of the game that the English opener has excelled in and has his name scripted already in history books having recently joined the elite list of batsmen with more than 10000 runs in the format.
The 31-year-old also has a commendable record as skipper with 21 wins from 48 matches but Cook admits that the journey has not always been smooth sailing.
"I've lived on the edge for quite a number of years as a captain in terms of wanting to jack it in and questions about the job," Cook told The Sun. "There were times when I thought I'd go, for sure.”
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Though Cook didn’t want to reveal the times the thought crossed his mind, he admitted that the 5-0 drubbing at the hands of arch-rivals Australia Down Under in 2013 was one of the lowest points of his cricketing career and that he was on the verge of giving up captaincy after the series.
"I spoke to my wife, Alice, about packing it in. I'd rather not say exactly when but I've got them written down,” he said. “I don't like talking about it because you end up doubting yourself. But, yes, I was very close to going at the end of the Ashes last year.”
England won the 2015 Ashes last year in quite convincing fashion and the manner of victory has certainly waived any thoughts Cook might have had of giving up the Test captaincy as he believes the young side has a lot of potential and he wants to be right there leading from the front as the team makes progress in the world of cricket.
“We won two Tests in 10 days at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge and I woke up the next day and thought, 'This side has so much potential and I still want to be part of it'," Cook said, but added that he never wants to a burden to the team and that he will walk when the time is right.
"If I feel the team is getting a bit stale, bored with me and the next generation is pushing on, then it will be time to go," he said.
