Alastair Cook refutes claims made in Kevin Pietersen's autobiography

Alastair Cook, the England captain, has responded to the controversy that arouse in the aftermath of the release of Kevin Pietersen's autobiography earlier this week.

Pietersen had said that there was a lot of bullying in the England dressing room and that there were cliques formed that didn't help the team's cause. However, Cook felt that it "tarnished" the image of a good team and added that he felt hurt by the comments made by Pietersen.

"I think it's been a really sad week for cricket. We have to draw a line under it at some stage and this is a good time" Cook said to BBCSport.

"I'm very proud of the era we played in to win three Ashes series and become the best side in the world. International cricket is a tough place and, as a team, you're striving for excellence at all times.

"Certainly at some stages those frustrations boiled over more than they should have done, but that was only people who were desperate to succeed. Did it overstep the mark a couple of times? Possibly, but we addressed those issues this is something that always happens in teams. It certainly wasn't a bullying environment at all in my eyes." he added.

Kevin Pietersen had come down hard on former England coach, Andy Flower, calling him a 'Mood Hoover' in his book but Cook rejected the claims flatly.

"I've known Andy since he was a player in the Essex dressing room. He took me under his wing as a player and then obviously, your relationship changes as a coach to a player and then to a head coach and a captain.

"I've only got respect for him, as a man, as a coach. He was an amazing coach for our side.

"Chatting to some of the other players about it, they feel the same. A lot of our success was down to his drive and his determination to make us a tough England side," said Cook.