Alastair Cook picks his Mount Rushmore of Cricketers!! Virat Kohli-Sachin Tendulkar kicked aside

Former England captain Alastair Cook recently named his personal "Mount Rushmore" of cricketers. The left-handed batter picked West Indies legend Brian Lara, former England pace spearhead James Anderson, South African great Jacques Kallis, and England all-rounder and skipper Ben Stokes.

Sir Alastair Cook is considered one of England’s greatest Test openers. He played 161 Test matches, scoring 12,472 runs at an average of 45.35, including 33 centuries and 57 fifties. The left-handed batter also led the England team in 59 Tests and captained the side to a series victory on Indian soil.

Cook made a memorable debut with a century against India in Nagpur in 2006. He retired with another century against the same opposition at The Oval in 2018.

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Alastair Cook Picks Brian Lara as Batter in His ‘Mount Rushmore’ of Cricketers

Speaking to Stick to Cricket, Alastair Cook was asked to name his “Mount Rushmore” of cricketers. Cook said his selections were based only on players he had either played with or against. The former England captain picked Brian Lara and described the West Indian great as a genius.

"My batsman, and the only way I've either played with or against. So the best ever batsman I saw. It's such a tough one between Lara and Ponting. But I have to go with Brian Lara. I've only played against him once, and it wasn't a Test match, but I've never seen genius like it," Cook said.

Sir Alastair Cook names his Cricket Mount Rushmore 👀🏏 pic.twitter.com/oCiNnefaYR

— Stick to Cricket (@StickToCricket) July 1, 2025

Brian Lara is the only player to have recorded two individual scores of over 350 in Test matches. He represented the West Indies in 131 Test matches, scoring 11,953 runs at an impressive average of 52.89, with 34 centuries, 48 fifties, and 9 double centuries.

Alastair Cook Picks James Anderson as Bowler in His ‘Mount Rushmore’ of Cricketers

When asked to name the bowler on his “Mount Rushmore” of cricketers, Cook picked his former teammate James Anderson. He praised Anderson not only for his exceptional skill but also for his remarkable longevity in international cricket.

"Best bowler, I'm going to go with one of my better friends, James Anderson. Just think, the longevity is one thing but the skill he had and the ability to play for as long as he did, he can be my bowler," Cook said.

James Anderson ended his Test career with 704 wickets from 188 matches at an average of 26.45, including 32 five-wicket hauls. He is England’s highest wicket-taker in both Tests and ODIs. Anderson picked up 269 wickets in 194 ODI matches and 18 wickets in 19 T20I games.

Alastair Cook Picks Jacques Kallis and Ben Stokes in His ‘Mount Rushmore’ of Cricketers

When asked to pick his all-rounder, Cook chose South African legend Jacques Kallis. For his wildcard pick, Cook selected Ben Stokes, calling him a true game-changer. He praised Stokes as a player capable of delivering match-winning performances under intense pressure.

"Quite an easy one, actually. I shall say an easy one. I think Stokesy has to be right up there in terms of game-changing and stuff, but Jacques Kallis. The number of runs he scored was just incredible. You then top that up with the fact he’s got over 200 Test wickets and caught like flies in the slips. He can be the best all-rounder I saw."

"The spare player, then, I'm going to have Ben Stokes—a game changer who played some of the best innings I've ever seen under pressure to win big, big games," Cook concluded.

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