Alastair Cook still has the full support of his coach, team-mates and selectors and is unbeaten in four Tests. But his hopes of remaining England captain in the Ashes this summer hinge on what is going on back home. The opinions of ECB chairman-elect Colin Graves, new chief executive Tom Harrison and the man they eventually make director of cricket matter far more than what anyone in the Caribbean thinks. The three half-centuries Cook made in his last four Test innings of last summer count for little now as his battle to prove he remains the best man for the job nears crunch time. England captain Alastair Cook is not concerned about his failure to hit a Test hundred since May 2013 . Cook remains England's leading century maker despite his recent failure to score a Test century . Cook (right, pictured with Gary Ballance) and his team-mates are preparing for England's second Test . The second Test that starts here is not exactly make or break for Cook but he needs runs and a victory as much as at any time in a career that has seen him score more Test centuries than any other Englishman. The decision of Graves and Harrison to sack Paul Downton as managing director and announce that they are looking for a new ‘supremo’ to replace him has placed Cook and Peter Moores under more pressure than ever. By definition, the new powers at the ECB cannot have been happy about the big decisions Downton made in a traumatic 14 months and few were bigger than the move to bring back Moores as coach and the continued backing of Cook. England could not have done much more to force victory in Antigua on a pitch deader than Monty Python’s parrot but their failure to beat West Indies has made the remaining two Tests vital. Cook was both proactive and imaginative for much of that first Test but he is a captain who leads mainly by example and simply has to break a run that now sees him without a Test century for 33 innings. The statistics certainly make grim reading for Cook. In 21 of those 33 innings he has not passed 25 and his Test average of 45.65 is lower than at any time since the 2010-11 Ashes. Since the last of his 25 Test centuries, against New Zealand at Headingley in May 2013, he is averaging under 29. If England really do want a change at the top then it must come sooner rather than later, particularly if, as expected, they would bypass vice-captain Ian Bell and go straight to the man who now seems the heir apparent, Joe Root. The only way for Cook to stop the questions about his lack of a big innings is to replicate the form he has been showing in practice here with his new slightly open stance and go back to churning out the runs. ‘I have been working with Goochie on a number of things, as you always do,’ said Cook of his decision to work with Graham Gooch, his old mentor and the man he sacked as England batting coach. ‘You’re always trying to tinker with your technique and might fall into certain habits at various times in your career. Joe Root lays on the ground to check out the pitch while Cook (right) and Jos Buttler (centre) look on . Cook (left), Moeen Ali (centre) and Adil Rashid (right) go for a gentle jog at the National Cricket Ground Stadium . ‘But the most important thing is not to concentrate too much on technique when you are out in the middle. You have to concentrate on what is important — the ball coming down to you, the situation you’re in and the conditions. ‘I’m a resilient guy who tries to play each ball on its merits for as long as possible, that’s what my success has been built on, and I remain desperate to set the tone at the top of the order with some runs.’ It was hoped that the pitch at a National Stadium here that was rebuilt after the devastating hurricane of 2004 would have a bit more pace than Antigua but Cook expressed his ‘surprise’ at how wet and soft it was, at least on Sunday. That means England will consider bringing in leg-spinner Adil Rashid for Chris Jordan, while Moeen Ali looks certain to return in place of James Tredwell, who has been ‘struggling’ with a shoulder problem suffered in Antigua. The ‘big two’ of record-breaking Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad will both play despite a demanding first Test while Jonathan Trott, rightly, carries on as opener with Cook despite his two failures on his return to the side in Antigua. There is much promise in this England team, particularly in a middle order that will see one of Moeen, Jos Buttler or Ben Stokes batting as low as eight, but questions remain about the man at the top. It is up to Cook to answer them. Cook warms up during the England nets session at the National Cricket Ground Stadium in St George . England players prepare for the second Test in the nets in Grenada .
Alastair Cook has gone 33 Test innings without hitting a century . The 30-year-old remains England's leading century maker despite blip . Cook has been watching old footage of himself to study his technique .