THERE is no better feeling in life than ramming the words of your detractors right back down their throats - especially when your detractors are throwing stones from their glass house.

Alastair Cook - one of our Ashes heroes - should have walked to the crease in his first game as the official England one-day captain feeling every inch the world beater that he can become.

Instead, caustic comments from frequent failure Mike Atherton have left the talented youngster with the prospect of padding up to both Sri Lanka and a poisonous predecessor.

Atherton, a successful Test cricketer in his own right, should know how hard it is to adapt to the shorter game without dishing the type of dirt he threw at Cook when labelling him a ‘plodder’ and ‘donkey’.

Instead of picking holes in a man who batted the Aussies into the ground over the winter, he should be extolling the virtues of patience in a player who consistently proves his knockers wrong by tightening up his technique and rising to new challenges.

Cook is the perfect Test opener these days, his recent stats are almost Bradman-like, and there is no reason why he cannot get to grips with the 50-over format.

Even before any improvements, Cook has a far superior strike-rate (runs per 100 balls) than Atherton - 72 compared to 59.

That is not to say Cook is the finished article. He is far from it, but he should be given the support to grow into a role that will culminate at the World Cup in four years time.

Cook’s sound technique means he should fear no bowler in world cricket and, judging by his giant frame that towers well over 6ft, he has the strength to add extra firepower to his armoury.

Just like Andrew Strauss learnt how to become a one-day hit, so much so that he smashed an incredible 158 against eventual champions India in the World Cup, Cook can work out a way to become a limited overs legend. And, in the process, serve up humble pie to the very person who should be more careful with his criticisms.