Sir Richard Hadlee has urged the England and Wales Cricket Board to resist any calls to take the captaincy away from Alastair Cook.
England are on a run of 10 Test matches without a victory, and the pressure has been piled on Cook, who has dismissed any suggestions that he could resign from his role as skipper in the near future.
Hadlee is confident that it is only a matter of time before Cook finds form with the bat and England return to winning ways as they prepare for the third Test against India, which begins on Sunday.
"Twelve months ago, everyone would have said he's a fine captain and a wonderful batsman for England," the former New Zealand fast bowler told Sky Sports News. "I just hope the England selectors have given him confidence and say to him 'you're going to be captain for next three games as you're a good enough player to turn your form around'.
"I suspect by time Alastair Cook ends his career, he'll probably be England's most successful ever captain, the leading run scorer in the history of English cricket and the most Test centuries for an England player. I expect he'll turn it around with full support and everyone backing him."
England trail India 1-0 in the five-match series ahead of the third Test.
