IF Alastair Cook needs any inspiration during the toughest period of his career, he only needs to look straight down the wicket to his opening partner and captain.

Andrew Strauss emerged a better player for the difficult patch that threatened to end his international career back in 2006-07.

Like Cook, the England skipper struggled for form approaching 50 Test caps and he battled back in style to reassert himself as one of the best openers in the world game.

And he did that by sticking to the basics, playing to his strengths and having the mental courage to stand up to some of the best opening bowlers around.

Strauss was honest enough to realise he was no Twenty20 player, and promptly retired from that format, preferring to concentrate on Test cricket and the 50-over game.

He refuses to play expansive shots that do not come naturally, instead letting the opposition bowl to his strengths and hitting low-risk shots. After all, a cover drive for four gets exactly the same results as a switch-hit to the boundary.

Strauss has an uncluttered mind and uncomplicated style – something Cook needs to develop. The Essex man obviously has something about him because he scored two hundreds when handed the captaincy in Bangladesh last winter.

And a Test average of 42.8 is fairly impressive considering the pitfalls of being an opening batsman, facing fresh bowlers and the new ball.

Cook’s problem is he goes through lengthy runs of low scores, hits a hundred and then struggles for form once again. He has scored consistent runs against virtually every Test nation other than Australia – against whom he averages just 26 from 10 matches.

Unless he bounces back to form quickly he is in danger of being dropped for the tour Down Under. And, as Ravi Bopara and Ian Bell will testify, it is hard to find a way back in once you are out of favour.