Alastair Cook has admitted that he did consider resigning from his role as captain of England during the disappointing tour of Australia in the winter.
England were whitewashed by their rivals in the Ashes series, before suffering more frustration in the one-day internationals which followed, and Cook claims that it was the backing of senior players which convinced him to carry on as skipper.
"After a long gruelling winter, I gave stepping down consideration. It would be wrong if I hadn't. We lost a lot of games and we hadn't played to the standard the side was capable of," Cook told reporters ahead of Friday's ODI against Scotland.
"If you don't question your position at that stage then you never will but the guys I spoke to were great and very supportive. I chatted a lot to Stuart Broad and Ravi Bopara in particular, and they said 'you must carry on'.
"Paul Downton came into the ECB and backed me too and I want to repay that faith. It's a huge honour to be captain. I'm very privileged, but you've got to be the best man for the job."
The game against Scotland is the first fixture in Peter Moores's second reign after he was confirmed as head coach last month.
Callum Mulvihill
