England captain Alastair Cook will "stay strong" in the remainder of the home series with India, according to coach Peter Moores after the opening batsman's struggles continued in the drawn first Test at Trent Bridge.
The latest in a run of a low scores came at Nottingham where the left-hander was bowled round his legs off the thigh pad for five to take his tally for the calendar year to a mere 97 runs in seven Test innings.
It also meant Cook had now gone 25 knocks since scoring the last of his England record 25 hundreds more than a year ago, during which time he has averaged a meagre 24.
Meanwhile, the draw left England without a win in nine Tests, their worst run for more than 20 years.
However, England have put an immense amount of faith in Cook, who oversaw the team's 5-0 Ashes capitulation in Australia, citing the need to back their skipper as a reason for sending star batsman Kevin Pietersen into international exile.
And with Moores having been recalled as England coach after Andy Flower stood down following the Ashes debacle, there's clearly no mood among the England and Wales Cricket Board hierarchy for further upheaval on the field as well.
Cook will be back in the spotlight on Thursday when the second Test starts at Lord's, with the entire series crammed into just 42 days.
"It is a tough time when you are not getting runs," said Moores.
"But Alastair is a tough player, as he has shown throughout his career.
"It is a five-match series, and in a five-match series I expect Alastair to come through strongly - because he is a top-flight player. He has to stay strong."
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