The redemption song of the Cookroach

Alastair Cook could probably be forgiven had he produced a "Talk nah" poster from his pocket in the moments after victory at Trent Bridge.

He has been involved in Ashes wins before. He has even been involved in Ashes wins as captain.

But this success will taste sweeter. This success will be what he considers the greatest achievement of his career. This success will represent redemption.

It is not his style to crow about his success but, as he put it to Sky: "I couldn't be happier. After everything we have been through, I couldn't be prouder of my team."

It is not hard to understand why. Little more than a year ago, Ashes success seemed almost impossible. England had been thrashed 5-0 in Australia and it had become apparent that many of the pillars of their success - Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann, Andrew Strauss, Matt Prior and Jonathan Trott - had reached the end of their playing careers. An era was over.

But it wasn't just the burden of rebuilding a team that confronted Cook. He also suffered by association. He suffered by association with an ECB regime represented by Giles Clarke, a hard-to-love ECB chairman, he suffered by association with Paul Downton, who was out of his depth as MD of England Cricket, and he suffered by association with the heavy-handed treatment of Pietersen.

At a time when cricket seemed to be losing its populist touch, the description of Cook, a former public school chorister, as coming from "the right sort" of family was unhelpful. Cook was 'one of them' when 'they' were out of touch, entitled and unsuccessful.

Some of the criticism was fair; some was vicious. One high-profile critic, Piers Morgan, labelled him "captain weasel" and another, Shane Warne, used his media profile to establish a narrative that Cook was a reactive leader whose natural inclination towards attritional cricket would hold England back. Some days it must have seemed the world was against Cook.

Most of all, though, Cook suffered through not scoring enough runs. At his best, in India at the end of 2012, his leadership methods worked well: he insisted on the best team - and deserved great credit for persuading the England management to select Pietersen - and he led by example. The three centuries he scored in that series remain, alongside his prolific Ashes series in 2010-11, the most impressive batting of his career.

But then he went two years without a Test century. Between July 2013 and July 2014 he averaged 24.24 in Test cricket and, after a prolonged opportunity to regain some limited-overs form, was dropped from the ODI side.

His ODI form might seem irrelevant to his Test position. But, rightly or wrongly, his failures in the short format led to a sense that his selection in all formats no longer had anything to do with merit. His refusal to step down ahead of the World Cup was not just stubborn, it might be portrayed as selfish. His grip on the leadership was loosening.

But Cook is a tenacious man. A determined man. He might even be the most resilient man in English cricket. Just as he can be beaten like a snare drum when batting, but still grind out a century, so he has been able to withstand the pressure, the abuse, the disappointment and retain his focus, his enthusiasm and his belief that he was the man to lead his young side to better times.

Now he stands, alongside WG Grace and Mike Brearley, as one of three men to lead England to two home Ashes victories. He is, if you like, the Cookroach.

"I'm just proud I've hung in during the really tough times," Cook said. "I'm proud I have managed to stay true to a lot of my principles as a bloke and as a player, thinking I was a right man for the job."

The lowest point may have come at Lord's in July 2014. Seven months after relinquishing the Ashes in humbling fashion, he had seen his side defeated in a home series to Sri Lanka and just seen them lose a Test to an Indian side with a worse reputation for travel than an agoraphobic, and lose, too, on a green pitch perfectly suited to England's requirements.

It was hard to see progress and, while his position as a batsman was never seriously question, his contribution as leader was. He admitted that, during those weeks, he considered quitting but was eventually convinced by his wife, Alice, to keep fighting. "You think of everyone who supported you through the real tough times," he said. "Mainly my wife, my family and her family. To support me like they have done probably took me over the edge."

He admits that even he thought this series may come a year or two early in the development of his side.

"I didn't think we were quite ready to win the Ashes at the beginning, because I thought you needed a group of players who were match-hardened," he said. "But the guys have surprised me. We have won really critical moments and the players have really stepped up which shouldn't surprise me but it has."

There have been some casualties on the way. There was Peter Moores, who planted many of the seeds that flourish now, but was given so little time in the job.

It was classy that, even in the moment of victory, Cook looked back to remember some of those who helped him reach here. "This is for Peter," he told Sky. "We need to thank Peter Moores. A lot of the guys made huge developments under him. We have to remember him."

There were the other opening batsmen - the likes of Nick Compton or Michael Carberry - who might have prospered had England had a high-scoring opener who allowed them to invest more time in new players. There was Andy Flower, who instilled a high-expectation and a no excuse culture, but who was wearied and changed by the relentless nature of England's schedule and who had to make way for a lighter touch.

And, most of all, there has been Pietersen. Some will argue that this success vindicates the decision to rebuild without Pietersen. Some will suggest that, without him, young players have been able to develop in a dressing room untainted by cynicism and motivated by nothing more than a desire to play for their country. They will suggest that Pietersen's absence was a key ingredient in England's success.

Equally, though, England have dropped one batsmen this series and two more are averaging fewer than 15. You could easily argue that a place could have been found for a great batsman with a point to prove. As ever with Pietersen, opinions will be polarised. Either way, there is no going back now.

What is not disputed is the sense that, without the distraction of cliques in the dressing room, Cook has been able to mould his talented young team into something exciting and impressive. The atmosphere is fresh and joyful. The motivation nothing more complicated than winning games for England and enjoying the journey. If 2013 was the joyless Ashes, 2015 was the rebirth of an England team. This really should be the start of their journey.

But is the end or a new start for Cook? Having once said he would never voluntarily relinquish the leadership, he admitted before this series that he would reconsider his position when it was over. Now, with his reputation restored, his point made and a young family to consider, it would be natural if Cook decided to take a back seat. His position as first-choice opening batsmen remains unquestioned. A few years back in the ranks might appeal.

There is an obvious candidate to replace him. Joe Root has developed into one of the world's leading batsmen and appears to have an aptitude for leadership. A concern that the burden might compromise his outstanding batting - and as a consequence England's success - is genuine, though. He is 24 and still has questions to answer in Asian conditions and on the quickest tracks. Captaincy is the last thing he needs right now.

And perhaps Cook is just getting the hang of the job? Certainly his tactical game has improved. Helped by the addition of a couple of decent all-rounders - Ben Stokes, in particular - Cook has used his bowlers less formulaically and shown an ability to think on his feet with more unusual field placements. It helps that he has a young team who are unwearied by the grind of the schedule and seem only to be competing with the opposition rather than one another.

He may consider he has unfinished business, too. While he has looked in supreme form with the bat this summer, he has not produced the scores to match. Indeed, in six Ashes series, he has only once averaged more than 31. He may look to 2017-18 - and beyond - with some anticipation.

"I've always, always had the backing of the dressing room," he said. "And that's the most important thing in the tough times. Its been a hell of an 18 months for me personally."

For all the talk of stubbornness, though, Cook also has an ability to learn. Just as he learned to play spin, he admits to having learned to become a better captain. "I had to change a little bit," he said. "I had to be a less stubborn captain than in the past.

"Stubbornness gets you a long way in international cricket. You need that inner belief and self belief that you are doing things your way because if you are not true to yourself, you definitely don't have a chance. But I have certainly opened my ears to a number of people the last six months or so. And probably relaxed a little more."

If he does continue, he will have many of this team beside him. There will be, no doubt, days in the UAE and South Africa where the flaws in England's young side are exposed. But with the likes of Stokes, Root, Buttler and Gary Ballance - who will surely be back - in the side, the future looks brighter than it has for some time. Having helped plant many of the seeds, Cook deserves to reap some of the harvest.