England captain Alastair Cook paid tribute to his wife for helping him stay on as skipper and earn the first silverware of his new era.
Cook has been on stage at The Oval collecting trophies before, but after a nightmare nine months it was almost possible to see the weight lifted off his shoulders as he held aloft the Investec trophy. While the entire team played their part in the three thumping wins against India in a row, it has been a victory most of all for Cook and his perseverance when others doubted him.
After beating India by an innings and 244 run victory to claim victory in the fifth and final Test as well as the five-match series, it was a day for Cook to savour, The Mirror reported.
In the aftermath of defeat at Headingley against Sri Lanka, Cook mulled over whether or not he was the right man to lead the side.
But the natural determination that makes him such a fine opening batsman, plus a few words from his wife, was enough to keep him going. And that resulted in a remarkable turnaround in fortunes from defeat at Lord's to a 3-1 series win tied up at The Oval.
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Cook said that he stayed on because of support he had from his wife, adding that he can bear his soul quite often to Alice and she's very good at getting him back on the straight and narrow.
The skipper said that it was a tough night when England had a winning position on the fourth day against Sri Lanka and it slipped. He added that Lord's was very tough too when they lost in conditions suited to the, and they won the toss.
But, Cook said that he is quite stubborn and a resilient guy who believes in his abilities and that's when he needed to the most. He said that he is glad that he stuck through the tough times.
