Alastair Cook

England|Opening Batter
Alastair Cook
INTL CAREER: 2006 - 2018
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Full Name

Alastair Nathan Cook

Born

December 25, 1984, Gloucester

Age

39y 85d

Also Known As

Sir Alastair Cook

Nicknames

Cooky, Chef

Batting Style

Left hand Bat

Bowling Style

Right arm Slow

Playing Role

Opening Batter

Height

6ft 2in

Education

Bedford School

Alastair Cook was never an especially elegant batter, but his determination, his longevity and the sheer number of runs he made cemented his position as one of England's greatest. As the Oval crowd in his final Test stood to give him ovation after ovation, his popularity and the respect he evoked were abundantly clear. A knighthood followed a few months later.

By the time he played his final Test, aged only 33, he was already England's highest run-scorer and century-maker in Test cricket; had taken the most catches (as a non-keeper) for England; and had set a world record for the most Test caps in succession: an eye-watering 159.

He scored 766 runs in seven innings in the 2010-11 Ashes to anchor England's first series win in Australia for 24 years. Two years later he became England's leading Test century-maker - hitting No. 23 against India in Kolkata, his third in three matches - and the youngest player to pass 7000 runs.

The series victory in India that hundred contributed to was England's first there for 28 years. Two home Ashes wins followed for Cook, in 2013 and 2015, and in the winter of 2015-16, a triumphant tour of South Africa.

But there were significant disappointments too. He captained the side that was whitewashed in the 2013-14 Ashes and beaten by Sri Lanka at home the following summer. While he led the team to within an ace of that elusive global ODI title at the Champions Trophy of 2013, he was omitted from the 2015 World Cup squad, ending his limited-overs career around his 30th birthday.

Cook's leadership was, in many ways, like his batting: unyielding, determined and deliberate, but lacking the spark of tactical genius. His 24 Test wins in 59 Tests made him one of the most successful England captains, but his 22 defeats were also a record then. He resigned as Test captain in the aftermath of a 4-0 trouncing by India in 2016.

A batting prodigy since his school days, Cook was first called up to the Test side in 2006 as an injury replacement during a tour of India. He had been in the Caribbean with the A team when the SOS came but, unfazed, he stroked 60 and a magnificent century to complete a memorable debut in Nagpur. His ability to play long, attritional innings without showing signs of fatigue - it became a cliché that he did not sweat - was evident from the outset.

By his 25th birthday, he had scored far more runs and centuries than any other Englishman of a comparable age. He hit three Test hundreds in 2009 - but none of them were in the Ashes series, in which 95 at Lord's was his only score above 32 as the Aussies probed at his front-pad problem. The Pakistan attack of 2010 caused more problems, but a gritty century at The Oval ensured Cook would open in the Ashes series in which he proved so decisive. It's probably a fair microcosm of his career: he never claimed to be the most talented, but somehow he found a way.

Alastair Cook Career Stats

Batting & Fielding

FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAveBFSR100s50s4s6sCtSt
Tests161291161247229445.352656246.9533571442111750
ODIs92924320413736.40415477.1351936310360
T20Is440612615.2554112.960010010
FC352619452664329446.415277150.4874125--3860
List A17817613651013739.93809080.461338--730
T20s32302892100*31.85699127.61159515130

Bowling

FormatMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
Tests161218711/61/67.002.3318.0000
ODIs92------------
T20Is4------------
FC352-29422473/13-32.004.5742.0000
List A178-18100---3.33-000
T20s32------------
Alastair Nathan Cook

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Recent Matches of Alastair Cook

MatchBatDateGroundFormat
Essex vs Northants6 & 626-Sep-2023NorthamptonFC
Essex vs Hampshire0 & 1619-Sep-2023ChelmsfordFC
Essex vs Middlesex58 & 8404-Sep-2023ChelmsfordFC
Essex vs Hampshire4 & 425-Jul-2023SouthamptonFC
Essex vs Kent8719-Jul-2023ChelmsfordFC

Videos of Alastair Cook

Photos of Alastair Cook

Alastair Cook made his final professional appearance for Essex at Wantage Road
Alastair Cook walks up the steps to the dressing room after being dismissed
Alastair Cook joins Essex's huddle at Chelmsford amid speculation of his impending retirement
Alastair Cook picks off a sweep through backward square
Alastair Cook cuts through the covers during the morning session at Chelmsford
Alastair Cook steers into the off side