Alastair Cook is aiming to break into England's Twenty20 side after putting the one-day outfit side on course for a series victory against Pakistan. Cook made history as the first England captain ever to hit back-to-back one-day International hundreds, and his 102 at the Zayed Stadium helped the tourists to 250 for four and eventually a 20-run win.
On form, he is England's best one-day batsman but he is not currently part of the Twenty20 set-up, something he is keen to rectify.
"I'd love to be in the Twenty20 side," said Cook. "It's a totally different format and a huge challenge. They've already picked the squad and they've had a lot of success."
The opener continues to confound the critics who claimed he could never transfer his Test match prowess to white-ball cricket. He has added considerably to his repertoire of shots, and improved his scoring rate.
"When I'd played my first 20-odd games, I knew if I wanted to play one-day cricket for England I'd have to improve," he added. "I've changed the way I play one-day cricket. I knew I had to improve and score quicker."
An England side without Cook won the ICC World Twenty20 in the Caribbean in 2010 and will defend that title in Sri Lanka in September.
First though, they are focused on a series victory over Pakistan. England are currently 2-0 up in the four-match ODI series but Cook is determined that his side continue to press hard.
"You train like it's still 0-0. Complacency has never been an issue with this England side, whether we win or lose games of cricket."
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