Moores does not doubt Cook's ability to lead England out of present slump

England coach Peter Moores has backed captain Alastair Cook again and has no doubt that the skipper could lead the squad out of their present slump.

Cook had earlier insisted that he had no intention of standing down as captain despite their 95-run loss to India in the second Test at Lord's representing England's 10th successive Test without a win.

Several former England captains have all urged Cook to stand down as skipper in a bid to regain his batting form, with Ian Botham even going so far as to say that the 29-year-old needs a break from the job and the game.

However, Moores does not doubt Cook's ability as a captain and said that the question is can he be the skipper who can take the team forward in the long term, Sport24 reported. Moores said that in his opinion Cook is the man who can take the team forward and so he is going to support the skipper through that.

Cook has retained the England captaincy while the selectors brought in uncapped Lancashire wicketkeeper Jos Buttler to a 13-man squad announced on Tuesday for the third Test against India at Southampton on Sunday.

The left-handed opener's form has declined, with Cook now having gone 27 innings since scoring the last of his England record 25 Test hundreds.

Earlier, Moores had backed Cook by saying that the skipper would stay strong in the rest of the series with India, after their first Test ended in a draw. India lead the five-match series 1-0.