Alastair Cook looks like he could go on and on and on as England captain as he prepares to make his record-equalling appearance as Test skipper, says Michael Atherton. Cook will match Athertons own mark of 54 games as England captain when the second Test against Bangladesh begins in Dhaka on Friday - live on Sky Sports 2 from 4.30am.Speaking to the Sky Cricket Podcast Atherton says he has tremendous admiration for Cooks longevity in the role and offers an insight into the many and varied demands of the job. Cooks Captaincy Stats How do Cooks numbers compare to Athertons? I remember how beat up I felt at the end of the years that I did it due to a combination of things - the physical demands, which were intense at a time when we didnt play as much international cricket as they do now - but we played a lot of cricket in between for counties, says Atherton.Obviously the 1990s when I captained was not a particularly successful time comparative to now so that combination of criticism and getting beaten meant that I was very, very weary.A bit like Alastair, I was batting at the top of the order and I think that adds an extra layer of pressure; you do get a break when youre out but you are out there trying to lead from the front. For all those reasons four years did me in and I was really ready to pack up then. Having done it for four years I felt it was almost like having played for eight years - captaining and opening the batting was a double whammy.What Im getting round to is I have tremendous admiration for Alastair, having got to 54 games, and looking as fresh as a daisy. I saw him in the gym the other day; he was pounding out 5km in about 18 minutes, lifting weights and looking in fantastic physical nick.He looks as though he could go on and on and on. Generally I feel there is a bit of a shelf-life for captains - I did it for three-and-a-half to four years, Michael Vaughan did it for four years, Nasser Hussain did it for four years and all of us looked very, very beaten up by the end of it. Cooks captaincy journey We chart some of the highs - and lows - of Cooks spell as England Test skipper All of the factors that led to me being beat up are almost the opposite for him. England are doing well, now - they are pretty successful. He will feel very different now from how he felt at the end of the Ashes when England where white-washed, when he looked like a haunted man.Secondly, what I think was absolutely vital for him, was being removed from the one-day captaincy which he didnt like at the time but it means that he gets a fantastic work-life balance; it means that he can come to every Test match series focused on a pretty short period of time.The third thing is that he has a life away from cricket; hes got the other interest, which is farming. He gets away and hes not on social media so when he is away from cricket, he is away from cricket.The final factor is that the support network around the team now is so far removed from what it was in terms of the coaching staff, the physical support and the commercial support means that a lot of the load is taken off the captain. Alastair Cook talks Test longevity with Mike Atherton... Listen to the interview in full by downloading the Sky Cricket Podcast here, and get Athertons thoughts on how…Cooks ability to change, keep learning and listen to a wider range of advice has helped him to grow as a captain how the appointment of Trevor Bayliss and Paul Farbrace - and their almost hands-off approach - has helped Cooks confidence his thoughts on whether Haseeb Hameed is likely to stay on the sidelines while Gary Ballance gets another goWatch the second Test between Bangladesh and England live on Sky Sports 2 from 4.30am on Friday. You can watch Premier League and EFL Cup football, plus Englands tour of Bangladesh and the Mexican Grand Prix on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy six months at half price! Also See: Cooks captaincy stats Cooks captaincy journey Cook: Test record surreal Live cricket on Sky Cheap Air Jordan 4 Mens . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. 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The head of USA Boxing came out swinging Tuesday with an open letter to Tyson -- a former Olympic hopeful himself -- that accuses the former heavyweight champion of trying to poach fighters who might be candidates for the U.Barcelona will be aiming to make yet more history for consecutive games unbeaten when they travel to lowly Rayo Vallecano as they look to tighten their grip on the La Liga title. It is Real Madrids benchmark of 34 games unbeaten from the 1988-89 season which will fall if they avoid defeat at the Campo de Futbol de Vallecas on Thursday night, live on Sky Sports 5 HD from 7.45pm.Barca stretched their unbeaten streak with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Sevilla on Sunday after a brilliant Lionel Messi free-kick and Gerard Piques winner overcame Vitolos early strike for the visitors. They lead Atletico Madrid by five points at the top of the table with Real Madrid a further seven points back in third and will be firm favourites to set another record having not lost to Rayo since a 1-0 defeat 14 years ago.Luis Enriques side look well set to repeat their league, cup and European treble from last season having progressed to the Copa del Rey final before beating Arsenal 2-0 away in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.But Enrique insists records will mean nothing without the titles and defender Jordi Alba said they are wary of complacency with just 12 league games to go. Messi plans Argentina return Lionel Messi admits he still plans to move to Argentina before his playing career ends In the dressing room there is precaution and at any moment the opponent can cause us problems, said the Spanish international.Atletico Madrid continue to put the pressure on. Javier Mascherano: Expected to move into holding midfield role Barca have been far from their brilliant best in many of their recent league games with fatigue starting to set in from an already gruelling campaign of 46 games across six competitions.However, Pique highlighted their resolve to put themselves on the brink of a sixth league title in eight years.We have suffered against Las Palmas, Malaga and other matches, but we have managed to win the games, he said.I think you win leagues like that if you can suffer and continue to win. Barcelona equalled Real Madrids Spanish record of 34 games without defeat after coming from behind to win 2-1 at home to Sevilla The suspended Dani Alves and long-term injury absentee Rafinha [knee] are the only players unavailable to Enrique, while Sergi Roberto and Sergio Busquets are fitness worries, but he is likely to rotate in defence and midfield once more to keep his side fresh for the final few months of the season.ddddddddddddEnrique is expected to move Javier Mascherano up into the holding role, with Ivan Rakitic taking Robertos place while the star front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar are expected to start once more in attack.Rayo are unbeaten in seven league games, including five 2-2 draws, but remain just two points above the relegation zone. Head coach Paco Jemez of Rayo Vallecano has a lengthy list of concerns Head coach Paco Jemez already has a lengthy list of concerns and is likely to be without Miku, Pablo Hernandez (both hamstring) and Jozabed (ankle).It is difficult to beat Barca because we are facing the best team in the world with the best players, said Rayo midfielder Roberto Trashorras.One day they will lose and we have to try to make sure that is on Thursday.Can Barcelona break Real Madrids record? Let us know by signing into Facebook below and sending us a message or by tweeting @SkyFootball Get a Sky Sports Day Pass Dont miss Rayo v Barca. Watch live on NOW TV for ￡6.99. No contract. ' ' '