Alastair Cook tight-lipped over Kevin Pietersen's future "I can't talk about what happens in the dressing room": Alastair Cook. England captain Alastair Cook has invoked the dressing-room cone of silence in refusing to answer questions about Kevin Pietersen, casting further doubt on the controversial batsman's Test future. The decision to rest Pietersen from the one-day series in Australia was made a month ago but during the Ashes whitewash the relationship between England's most talented batsman and coach Andy Flower is said to have broken down. Flower has denied issuing an ultimatum that he would only carry on if Pietersen did not, but it's up to the England and Wales Cricket Board's managing director Paul Downton to decide Pietersen's fate after a review of the Ashes humiliation. Cook has been an honest and expansive interview subject throughout the Test series annihilation but he refused to shed light on the Pietersen situation other than to say: "We have had a good relationship. I refuse to do that. When it was put to him this could be interpreted as a reluctance to endorse him or his attitude, Cook said: "You can regard it as you want." Cook has consistently said he wanted to carry on as captain, and been given the public support from his employer to do so. But he indicated on Saturday that even his own future was up for discussion. Obviously when you lose a series 5-0 a lot of things get thrown up and thrown in your face as a captain. You start looking at everything and it is important that we do that," he said. What is also important is that it has only been a week since everything happened. What is important for me is the one-day series at this precise moment in time. We know that when I get home from this one-day series a lot of important decisions on how we want to go forward with this Test team, the one-day team and my future - all that kind of stuff - is very important. After this series then you go back on to how do we rebuild the Test side. Cook added he had been reassured about his own position. "It is nice knowing that you have the opportunity to try and make amends as a captain," he said. I'm desperate to try and do it. The challenge is whether I'm good enough to do it. We're going to see over the next couple of years or however long. England can only hope the change of format releases some tension. An influx of fresh faces including Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara and Jos Buttler could make a difference. "We came here to take the Ashes home and I think everyone knows how important the Ashes is," Cook said. Now that we've lost them - if we win this one-day series we salvage some pride from our performances. It's an exciting time for a lot of young players in this side. They know they have a World Cup in a year's time.