Former England batter Mark Ramprakash has backed Joe Root to stay on as captain following his side's humiliating series defeat to Australia in the Ashes.
England have been comfortably beaten in the first three Tests and questions have been asked of Root's captaincy.
Former Australia captains Ian Chappell and Ricky Ponting were scathing in their criticism of Root's leadership, while ex-England opener Geoffrey Boycott has called for him to quit.
However, Ramprakash, who worked with Root for five years as England's batting coach, believes he should continue as skipper.
Despite admitting Root is not "tactically the best captain we’ve ever had", Ramprakash feels England should "stick with him" and that he needs more "support from people above him".
Speaking on Sky Sports News, Ramprakash said: "Joe’s a great role model but the players around him have not been up to the mark and that’s why when you look at his position as captain, you have to feel sympathetic for him.
"I don’t think he’s necessarily tactically the best captain we’ve ever had and so he will have to take his share of responsibility in terms of strategy, selection and things like that.
"But equally I think Joe needs support from people above him. People have mentioned a reset for red-ball cricket?
"Absolutely, we need to have a good hard look at how we help Joe Root if he continues as captain.
"He’s got to weigh up the energy levels, he’s been in the job four to five years now and the job is very demanding. But if he has the drive and desire to carry on then I would stick with him."
Root refused to be drawn on his immediate future when asked, instead pledging to "make sure we end up coming away from this tour with something".
He said: "My main focus and the group's focus is on the next ball, which is the first ball of the next Test. You can't start looking at things too far in the future.
"More than anything, we've got to make sure we end up coming away from this tour with something. We do not want to be stood there 5-0 at the end of the series.
"We've got two Test matches, a lot of World Test Championship points to play for, and we have to put some pride back into the badge and give the fans that are so loyal to us back home something to shout about and enjoy."
