by Our Sports Desk

Alastair Cook has dealt with high-stakes pressure throughout his professional career and sees no reason why he cannot do so again this summer.

Cook’s England team have failed to win a Test since last August, and he has gone even longer — more than a year, and 24 innings — without a century to add to his all-time national record of 25.

An Ashes whitewash, on his watch, and then a shock series defeat at home to Sri Lanka as England’s much-discussed “new era” got off on the wrong foot, have brought Cook’s career to a critical point.

He is not arguing otherwise, but at 29 has banked more than a decade of success in the public eye and is confident he can up his game again.

Loss and recovery of form is a constant theme for all batsmen — and as captain too, preparing for the first of five Tests in 42 days against India, Cook reasons that current difficulties simply go with the territory.

He said: “There is always pressure, isn’t there?

“It doesn’t matter what stage of your career you are in, you always have it.

“That’s the beauty of the job — to see whether you can handle it or not.”

Cook acknowledged after the second Test against Sri Lanka at Headingley, where James Anderson’s dismissal to the penultimate ball of the match sealed England’s fate, that ultimately others will decide whether he remains in charge or not.

He stands by that premise, secure in the knowledge he will continue to give everything he can in the collective cause — starting at Trent Bridge this morning.

“It is a huge honour to do this and I can go to sleep knowing that I’ve thrown everything I’ve got into it,” he added.

Some pundits are likely to remain on his case, come what may, and Cook will have to stay thick-skinned to keep his mind on the job.

“I think you need to be,” he said. “I think you have to be determined and stick to your guns as well.”

Another series defeat would surely put his position in jeopardy, whatever the mitigation — but Cook is not ready to consider that eventuality.

“We all know you are judged on results and results have not been good enough,” he said. “But I’ve never felt I’ve been hitting the ball particularly badly through this summer.”