Thursday 25 December 2014 21:45, UK
Alastair Cook has been backed by Essex head coach Paul Grayson to recover from being stripped of the England one-day captaincy.
Grayson said Cook cares deeply about the job and wanted to continue but has backed him to return to form.
Eoin Morgan replaced Cook as skipper for the Tri Nations series in Australia and then the World Cup.
The Essex head coach admits that England have made a brave decision but equally believes the opening batsman has the mental strength to ensure he gets back to his best.
"He's been the first to admit that he's not scored the amount of runs and England have not won the amount of games that he would have liked while he has been captain," Grayson told the Essex Chronicle.
"Having said that, they've made a very brave decision and time will tell whether it's the right one.
"I'm sure he'll pull through it like any setback he has had in his career because he's resilient, he's strong mentally and hopefully this will give him time to reflect on his Test career.
"I think everyone who knows Cooky, and cares about him, wants him to really find his best form in Test cricket again and be a real dominant leader for England while continuing to be our best player.
"He's had a few critics over the last couple of years about his captaincy style but he's actually been very good and been very successful as England captain, but I think the most important thing for him is that he rediscovers his best form again.
"He's had a tough year and there's been a bit of a witch-hunt against him from certain people in the media but I'm sure he'll have a brilliant time in the Caribbean when he goes out there in March and April next year for the Test series [against the West Indies]."
