Cook's captaincy under threat following humiliating Ashes show

England's humiliation defeat in Ashes has raised questions about captain Alastair Cook's career in the UK press.

The press smells blood about Cook's career, who may still be at the helm of the English cricket team, but after consecutive losses in Brisbane and Adelaide, questions are being asked about Cook's longevity in the role.

According to news.com.au, Stephen Brenkley in The Independent said that once he could do little wrong, but Cook is now the struggling leader of an embattled team who are confronting a sporting disaster.

He added that Cook's chances were that he would survive because he still has the loyalty of his team, but the intensity of an Ashes series invariably heightens emotions and the quest for culpability.

Cook, like opposing skipper Michael Clarke, will play his 100th Test at the WACA Ground from Friday.

His has been an incredible career -- a robust Test average of 47.20 from a man still just 28 years old -- but some observers have noticed he has aged beyond his tender years with the extra burden of captaincy.

Mike Selvey noted in The Guardian that there is weariness to him, and doubts are emerging about the state of his back.

Clarke is showing that a bad back need not be a hindrance to making runs but it does not make the business of dodging bullets, all the swaying and ducking, any easier.

Image: Alastair Cook

Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images