Cook defends side from Warne's 'smug and dismissive' allegations

England captain Alastair Cook has dismissed Australian spin legend Shane Warne's allegations that his men were 'smug and dismissive' in successfully defending the Ashes.

According to the Mirror, England will be aiming to win the series in Durham, although in the aftermath of the draw in the third Ashes Test at Old Trafford, which meant that their 2-0 lead in the series could not be overhauled by Australia, Warne accused Cook and the team of arrogance and a lack of respect for their opponents

However, Cook insisted that his teammates handled the situation correctly most of the time and represented the English game properly, saying that as a side, he has no doubts with the way they have conducted themselves and gone about their business.

But Cook also said that he does not mind what Warne had said as how they play their game is the only thing that matters at the moment, adding that people are entitled to their opinions about the way they go about their business as a side.

According to Cook, he and his team tries to be respectful as they can to the opposition, adding that coach and team director Andy Flower has been very strong on that issue in his coaching circle

According to the report, Cook has spent much of this summer defending his team, whether it was from ball tampering in the Champions Trophy, not walking after obviously edging the ball, and now arrogance.

The report further said that the captain now needs a triple-figure knock with the bat in a win at Durham, with Cook saying that he is desperate for a score as his job as one of the top-order batsmen is to score runs.

However, the skipper hoped that it is a matter of time before he scored runs in the Ashes, given that he has worked hard at his game and has also scored big runs in the past.