Andrew Strauss believes Alastair Cook must stop treating his teammates as close friends and impose himself as he stands on the threshold of becoming the first England captain to lose an Ashes series for seven years.
Shane Warne earlier questioned Cook's captaincy credentials but his comments were largely dismissed by England as the barbs of a frustrated former legend trying to land a few points for his mate captaining the Australian side.
Yet many of Warne's criticisms have been borne out as Cook has been outflanked by Michael Clarke and is enduring the most torrid time of his career as his runs have dried up while his team face surrendering the Ashes before Christmas.
"These are incredibly hard circumstances for any captain, let alone a young captain," Strauss said. "He has got his senior players not performing. You almost expect your junior ones to play a couple of inconsistent performances but none of these senior players have stood up.
"Long-term, this may be the making of Alastair Cook because it gives him the opportunity to stand up there to the rest of the team and say: 'This isn't good enough, you need to do things my way from now. It's not about doing things your way.'
