Alastair Cook To Come Out Of Retirement? Ex-England Captain Gives Interesting Reply

Sir Alastair Cook, on Tuesday,  received his knighthoood for services to cricket, after being dubbed by the Queen during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. The former England captain retired from Test cricket after the home series against India last summer.

He is the first England cricketer to receive a knighthood since Sir Ian Botham in 2007, and the first since New Zealand’s Sir Richard Hadlee in 1990 to do so while still an active player. Cook is currently plying his trade for Essex in first-class cricket and is set to do so after signing a new three-year deal last season.

“Seeing my name up there in whatever capacity – you just don’t get used to it,” Cook said after the ceremony. “You never get used to it and I don’t think I will ever get used to seeing my name with a Sir before it.”

Cook brought an end to his glorious 12-year career in a fairytale manner at the Oval last year. He bagged the Man of the Match award after scoring 71 and 147 as England thrashed India by 118 runs to win the series 4-1.

Cook, interestingly, refused to completely rule out an England comeback.

“You can never say no totally, because you don’t know what will happen in the future,” said the left-hander. “I had an amazing 12 years and had times and experiences which I could never repeat.

“The way I finished at The Oval was special, that will be my memory of wearing the three lions more times than I ever thought I would.

“That cap will stay in the drawer but I will look back with great memories of it. I can look back smiling with no regrets,” he added.

161 Test matches
12,472 Test runs
33 Test centuries
1 SIR Alastair Cook ? pic.twitter.com/8JQ6XGXDNN

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) February 26, 2019

Alastair Cook retired as England’s most decorated Test batsman of all time.  He has played more Tests, scored more runs and more centuries than any England cricketer in history. The knock in the second innings at the Oval helped him surpass Kumar Sangakkara and take the fifth spot in the all time leading run-scorers’ list.

Cook’s rise in international cricket was one of the main reasons behind England cricket’s domination between 2009 and 2013. He was the star of two of England’s greatest series wins of the 21st century — 2010/11 Ashes Down Under and 2012/13 series win in India.

Well, with the Ashes ahead and England’s openers not doing well, the team-management would surely not mind having their most decorated batsman back in the dressing room again.