Hosts must improve: Nasser Hussain

London: Former England captain Nasser Hussain feels that Alastair Cook and team must raise the bar in preparation for Ashes. “Just about now the mental baggage and scarring of Australia seems a distant memory,” Hussain told Sky Sports. “But we mustn’t get carried away. Mitchell Johnson will come in and bowl next summer and that will be fine. You’ve got to be a realist.

“I always felt that the captain should just focus on what’s in front of you beating India, winning the series at the Oval. That’s Cook’s job,” he said.He added: “The coach has to look and say ‘we are going well now, we’ve had two good weeks. What do we have to learn for the future?”

Hussain says the opener still has some way to go until he recaptures his form. “His captaincy is fine he’s done well in the last two games. “But what concerns me with Australia coming up is that, if England do want to go up the ladder and get back up towards World No 1, Cook the batsman needs to return to form.”