James Anderson to miss fifth Ashes Test

“I’m really comfortable with our curators; you trust them, you know what they’re going to do”.

“Josh has played six Tests since the West Indies Tour and the last nine Tests for Australia, as well as playing an important part in the ICC Cricket World Cup”.

It has been a remarkable achievement from Cook to lead his team so effectively over the course of the series and register a much more unexpected win than in 2013. Since starting in 2004 he averaged more than 40 in all bar one season, in 2007, when he played only seven matches and averaged 22.

“That would be the ultimate, the absolute ultimate, to go Down Under again and try and do what we did in 2010-11. At the end of the week we get to pick up the urn – which will be an fantastic experience for the side and one we can’t wait for – but we’ve five days of cricket of cricket to concentrate on first“. For the long term development of a team they have to learn to win when it is hard and England have not been challenged in the last two Tests. If England are to win they will have to do so authentically. If this team is to be the team of an era it needs consistency with the bat and more contributions from different players rather than relying on one or two.

In his defence, it is a very good picture but I’ll have to work out how to get him back – maybe I’ll wear a Freddie mask at some point in The Oval Test. Keep your eyes peeled… Shipperd loved – and still loves – Rogers’ ability to not get out cheaply despite batting well below his best, the time when many of his younger peers flounder.

Cook thinks England are therefore likely to be unchanged from Trent Bridge, providing there are no last-minute injuries.

“I haven’t gone and looked at the pitch yet but the stumps are in the wicket so it’s obviously not going to change too much”.

Trevor Bayliss, England’s Australian coach, has spoken all series of how he is prepared to play two spinners and Rashid would certainly come into consideration against Pakistan in the UAE, where the pitches assist slow bowlers. Wood could be the paceman to make way should England’s leading all-time wicket-taker be recalled.

Mark Footitt has been in and around the Test squad this season, and he could have a key role to play. In County Championship and Test cricket he has reached 50 in 10 of his 14 innings. They have to take that chance. They lost some of those games, rather than virtually none of the live ones.

Cook’s collective, meanwhile, are under orders – as they have been all series – not to get ahead of themselves, with a job still to be done. Forget the fact it is 3-1.

But a 4-0 series loss in India led to charges that Clarke had been complicit in players being dropped for failing to write written reports about their performance – although the blame for “homework-gate” fell mainly on the then coach Mickey Arthur.