LONDON: Alastair Cook believes England and Australia have a “responsibility to the game” to behave during the forthcoming Ashes series.

The question of on-field conduct has been a recurring theme in the build-up to this summer’s series, with New Zealand’s recently concluded tour of England taking place with a noticeable sense of sportsmanship.

England and Australia have both been guilty of sledging in recent Ashes encounters but James Anderson, who has been at the centre of a couple of high-profile confrontations, suggested last week that the time had come for change.

And Cook, as captain, has signalled his intention to lead that shift.

“We’ve got a great opportunity to make a real statement about how we should play cricket,” he said in a Radio Times interview.

“I think the spirit (between England and New Zealand) has been fantastic, and we definitely can learn from that.

“It was fantastic. It was the most enjoyable series I’ve played in. It might be different (against Australia), or we could have a responsibility to the game.

“It’s always exciting when Australia come, but I just think both sides have got this responsibility now for the way cricket’s gone,” the England skipper added.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2015

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