The England captain Alastair Cook has revealed he has no problems with Jimmy Anderson’s aggressive attitude on the field.

Just a couple of hours after the International Cricket Council announced it would not contest the ruling which found Anderson not guilty of breaching its code of conduct, Cook was once again forced to defend his bowler.

Some pundits have decried Anderson’s antics on the field of play, with Geoffrey Boycott on Wednesday morning urging the Lancashire seamer to curtail his habit of sledging opposition players.

Cook knows all international players have a responsibility to remain professional and while he admits Anderson is no shrinking violet, he would prefer him to take the attack to batsmen rather than be dictated to.

“We know every time that you put on the shirt as an England player or any international you’re a role model for young kids or anyone watching the cricket and we’re aware of that,” he said.

“We also want to play competitive cricket, we don’t want it to be too nicey-nicey and everyone just saying we’re playing in the right spirit. There’s always that muddied line.

“There’s little bits where he might have overstepped the mark occasionally throughout his career, but you’d rather him be on the line than too passive.”

Anderson was last week cleared of any wrong-doing by the judicial commissioner Gordon Lewis after being accused of pushing and abusing the India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in the Trent Bridge pavilion during the first Test.

The ICC effectively closed the case on Wednesday morning by declaring the matter would go no further and Cook is delighted to be able to draw a line under the incident on the eve of the fourth Test at Old Trafford.

“The whole incident is behind us and we don’t have to talk about it anymore, or hopefully too much more, and we can just get on with playing cricket,” Cook said.

“The way both sides have played this series has been fantastic, apart from that one incident that has been blown up. Both sides have been very competitive and played it in the right way and the right spirit.

“I don’t think it’s really affected the performance on the field at all; it’s great that that’s now behind him. He gets to play in a home Test match, which I know is very special for every guy that gets to play in a home Test match.

“I think that’s what his biggest concern was; that he wouldn’t get to play at Old Trafford.”