Cook says teams have 'duty' to play Ashes in 'right spirit'

England captain Alastair Cook has said that teams have a duty to play the Ashes series in the right spirit.

According to the Guardian, the England captain had described Ashes cricket as pretty much a war in the immediate aftermath of the words and gestures exchanged between Jimmy Anderson and several Australia players, including their captain, Michael Clarke, being caught by a stump mic warning Anderson to get ready for a f***ing broken arm.

However, after more than a week to reflect on the incident, and on Jonathan Trott's abrupt departure from the Ashes tour, Cook said that some of those scenes were ugly at the end of that game and teams do have a duty to play the game in the right way.

He confirmed that he had spoken to Martin Crowe, the former New Zealand batsman who has been appointed by the International Cricket Council to take overall control of discipline in the early stages of the series, and who is also thought to have had discussions with Clarke, the report said.

Cook said that players know the responsibility they have when they pull on the shirt and no matter how much emotion there is in the game, people are watching and players have a responsibility to the game.