ENGLAND captain Alastair Cook will be feeling a great deal of pressure as he tries to get the national side back to winning ways, according to former captain Michael Vaughan. 

Cook presided over a disastrous winter tour of Australia and the fallout has seen personnel changes in the England camp, with the most notable being Peter Moores becoming head coach following Andy Flower’s decision to step down.

While Cook remained Test and one-day skipper, he has been partly responsible for the decisions to dispense with the services of batsman Kevin Pietersen and batting coach Graham Gooch.

Therefore, Vaughan believes Cook will feel more burdened to succeed against Sri Lanka and India this summer.

“The pressure is on him. Any failure, any disappointment will be jumped on by a lot of people,” said Vaughan, who skippered England in 51 Tests from 2003 until 2008.

“He has made some tough calls. He has got rid of his best pal — batting coach Graham Gooch — although I believe it was a management decision and a Peter Moores coaching decision as much as Alastair Cook’s.

“He has got rid of the man who has scored more runs for England than anyone else in Kevin Pietersen so, although the public will be behind him, there will also be more pressure on the England side.” 

The England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Giles Clarke believes an improved atmosphere within the England set-up has already put them on the road to recovery.

“There have been quite significant changes to the team. It is a younger group now with fresh faces. That often leads to a change in atmosphere and I think that is a good thing,” Clarke said.

“We now have new challenges ahead of us and our prime aim is to get back to being number one in the world at Test and one-day internationals.”