Alastair Cook has 160 caps, but when the fifth and final Test against India at The Oval ends next Tuesday, the classy opening batsman will call it a day.
Cook has been England’s rock for a tick over 12 years, and will be sorely missed as the country’s most successful batsman.
The 33-year-old will be remembered for his patience, which drove opposition bowlers to distraction, the way he defended his wicket as though his life depended on it, and his three signature shots – a square cut, cover drive, and pull.
Cook never had the elegance of a David Gower, nor the power of a Kevin Pietersen, he was strickly his own man.
And he served his nation with distinction, scoring the most Test runs, Test centuries, and Test half-centuries, taking the most catches, and captaining his country the most times.
Obviously, this series has been the breaking point.
Even though the home side has already won the series 3-1, a feat in itself, Cook hasn’t reached 30 in scoring just 109 runs at 15.57 – very un-Cook like.
“I’ve got nothing left in the tank,” was Cook’s reaction.
One thing that has never changed is, despite extremely hot days like touring India, Cook never sweats. While every other cricketer is dripping in perspiration, he is as cool as a cucumber.
That possibly explains why Cook has been so calm under pressure, and how he’s so far and away the best performed England cricketer of all-time.
England’s most capped Test cricketers
Cook – 160
Jimmy Anderson – 142
Alec Stewart – 133
Stuart Broad – 122
Graham Gooch – 118
Ian Bell – 118
David Gower – 117
Most Test runs
Cook – 12254 at 44.88
Gooch – 8900 – 42.58
Stewart – 8463 – 39.54
Gower – 8231 – 44.25
Pietersen – 4728 – 47.28
If Cook scores a total of 147 runs in his final Test, he will overtake Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara as the most prolific left-handed batsman in history.
Most Test centuries
Cook – 32
Pietersen – 23
Walter Hammond – 22
Colin Cowdrey – 22
Geoff Boycott – 22
Bell – 22
Most catches
Cook 173
Andrew Strauss – 121
Ian Botham – 120
Cowdrey – 122
Hammond – 110
Most times England captain
Cook – 59
Mike Atherton – 54
Michael Vaughan – 51
Strauss – 50
Nasser Hussain – 45
Peter May – 41
Alastair Cook (Photo: AFP)
To complete Cook’s outstanding contribution on the international arena, his opening partnership record of 4711 runs at 40.97 with another leftie, Strauss, is England’s best ever, ahead of Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliff’s 3247 at 87.81. and the Len Hutton-Cyril Washbrook combination of 2880 at 60.
But the most intriguing stat is that cook played more Tests against Australia than any other country, and scored most of his career runs, but he was more successful Down Under than at home.
Overall against Australia he played 35 Tests for 64 digs, two not outs, 2493 runs at 40.20, top score 244*, with five tons, and 11 half-centuries.
In Australia – 38 innings for 1664 at 43.79, top score 244* with five tons, and five half-centuries.
But in England his 34 innings for 879 came at just 25.85, with a top score of 95 and no tons, but six half-centuries.
That’s the impressive Alastair Cook story, with one exception.
He was born on Christmas Day, a date he shares with Australian spin legend Clarrie Grimmett (born 1891), Kiwi spinner Hedley Howarth (1943), and another England opening batsman, Marcus Trescothick, in 1975.
Cook will be in Test retirement this Christmas, so he won’t be touring some hot country as he has for the last dozen years.
No sweat.
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