Alastair Cook Says He Was On The Verge Of Giving Up England Test Captaincy

England skipper Alastair Cook has said that at the start of the summer he thought of quitting as captain but England's 3-1 victory over Australia in the ongoing Ashes series has made him change his mind and focus on taking his side to the next level in cricket. (Cook Surprised by England Ashes Triumph)

England regained the Ashes after winning the fourth Test at Trent Bridge by an innings and 78 runs inside three days to take a 3-1 lead with one Test to go. (James Anderson Feared Cook Would Quit Captaincy)

"At the start of this summer, I didn't know what was going to happen and I wasn't sure if I would continue beyond the Ashes. But while you've still got the opportunity to be England captain and you've still got more to give, which I now feel I have, then you need to carry on and give it your all to take England to next level," Cook was quoted in an interview to The Daily Mail. (Collingwood Urges Cook To Carry On As Skipper)

Cook was under severe pressure heading into the Ashes following the sacking of Kevin Pietersen. The decision took a toll on him and his family and that made him think hard about his future.

"There have been some really dark moments in the last year or so. There was the KP affair and that dragged English cricket through some bad periods. I bore the brunt of that negativity and it took it out of me and my family. To come through that means a lot," he said.

"This is not a 'poor me' thing but I felt in the really low moments that, I was getting blamed for absolutely everything that had gone wrong. Even when we had a bad day and I hadn't done anything, it was still my fault. There were times when I found it very hard to deal with and was very close to giving it all up. To stay strong through it all, I'm proud of that," Cook said.