LONDON: England captain Alastair Cook said on Saturday that one of the team’s most successful spells had been ‘tarnished’ by Kevin Pietersen’s controversial autobiography.

Pietersen, England’s leading all-time run-scorer was effectively sacked — for reasons that have still to be made clear — by the England and Wales Cricket Board in February after a team led by Cook re­turned from a 5-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia.

This week saw Pietersen hit back with the publication of his autobiography and a flurry of interviews where he singled out former coach Andy Flower and England wicket-keeper Matt Prior, whom he accused along with a group of senior bowlers of creating a ‘bullying’ on-field culture, for his harshest criticism.

With the ECB yet to respond to Pieter­sen’s comments, it was left to Cook — a party to the South Africa-born batsman’s international exile — to defend the environment created by Flower and now reti­red former England captain Andrew Strauss.

“I am very proud of the era I have played in; to win three Ashes, to become the best side in the world; to play with some great players,” opening batsman Cook told the BBC.

“To play under Andrew Strauss, to have played under Andy Flower as coach, I have only got respect for these guys. I do believe that era has been tarnished, and I am sad about that.”

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2014