Cook blames controversies for taking 'bit of gloss' off team's Ashes retention

England captain Alastair Cook has admitted the ongoing controversies have taken 'a bit of gloss' off his side's triumph over retaining the Ashes urn after being 2-0 up and drawing the third Test against the Australians.

According to the Guardian, the moment of triumph at Old Trafford on Monday was hardly what Cook must have dreamed of when he inherited the captaincy from Andrew Strauss as he had to face grilling over a wide range of controversies from the weaknesses of Hot Spot to Monty Panesar's lack of self-control outside a Brighton nightclub.

Stating that the manner in which they retained the Ashes at Old Trafford was strange given the circumstances, Cook however, said that he was expecting some kind of media storm in the series and admitted that the controversies have taken some gloss of their moment of victory.

However, Cook said that the issues raging around are out of their hands, adding that he is confident that as he and his team have been through similar circumstances in the past and dealt with them well, there is no reason to believe that they cannot do it again.

Cook further reacted to Australian spin legend Shane Warne's allegations of 'smug and dismissive', saying that he has no doubts with the way his team has gone about their business in the series, adding that they try to be respectful as they can to the opposition.

However, Cook was disappointed by the reports of Panesar's indiscretion, which came days after the spinner had been released from the squad in Manchester, saying that behavior like that is unacceptable, adding that a player should be aware of the responsibilities he has as a cricketer.