Former England captain Alastair Cook announces retirement from cricket

Former England captain Alastair Cook has called time on his record-breaking cricket career after a glittering 20 years at the crease.

Cook, 38, retired from Test cricket in 2018 but continued playing for English county side Essex for the next five years.

The left-handed opener’s 12,472 Test runs is the most by any English batter, placing him fifth in the all-time list behind only Raul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting and No 1 Sachin Tendulkar.

His contract at Essex expired at the end of the domestic season last month and the 38-year-old, part of their County Championship-winning side in 2019, has elected against any renewal.

“It is not easy to say goodbye,” said Cook, who joined Essex as a 12 year old, in a statement. “For more than two decades, cricket has been so much more than my job. It is the right time for this part of my life to come to an end.

“I have always given absolutely everything I possibly have to be the best player I could be, but now I want to make way for the new generation to take over.”

Cook made his full England Test debut against India in Nagpur, scoring a century in the second innings. He would go on to win 161 caps, including a re4cord-breaking 159 of them played consecutively.

Cook's 12,472 Test runs and 33 centuries are England records, while no batter for any team has made more than his 11,845 runs as a Test opener.

After 562 games, 34,045 runs, 88 centuries and 168 fifties...

The legendary Alastair Cook retires from professional cricket ❤️️

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