'Gentleman' Alastair Cook Hasn’t Received The Credit He Has Deserved For Being Such A Good Player: Michael Clarke

Calling Alastair Cook a true gentleman, former Australia captain Michael Clarke has said the retiring England great deserves more cricket for his achievements.

Cook, on Monday (September 3) , announced he would retire after the upcoming fifth Test against India.  The retirement will end one of the most beautiful chapters in England’s Test history. Cook made his debut way back in 2006 and marked his arrival by scoring 60 and 104 not out in his first game against India in testing conditions of Nagpur. A star was born that day and Cook totally justified the hype surrounding him.

Cook is retiring at just 33 because of his recent loss of form. In the ongoing year, he has scored at an average of just 18.62 in nine Tests – which is his lowest year-wise since he made his debut in 2006. Another failure in the fourth Test saw his Test average dropped below 45 for the first time since 2010.

Cook has been an ever-present in England’s Test team since his 2006 debut, breaking a host of records in the process. But a difficult series this summer, scoring 13, 0, 21, 29, 17, 17 and 12 made him bring down curtains on a glittering 12-year Test career.

But these latest failures does not at all undermine Cook’s status as one of the greatest players in the history of Test cricket. He has played more Tests, scored more runs and more centuries than any England cricketer in history. He is the sixth highest run-scorer in Tests as of now.

Apart from his exploits with the bat, Cook also won over with his conduct on and off the field. And Michael Clarke has now paid a fitting tribute to him.

“Alastair was a gentleman and a great ambassador for the game of cricket,” Clarke told News Corp Australia.

“I’ve always believed it’s not what you say, it’s what you do and he’s a great example of that.

“He wasn’t a big talker on or off the field. But when he said something it was important. And that was the way he played,” he added.

Cook led England to two home Ashes series wins over Clarke’s Australia but also suffered a 5-0 defeat Down Under in 2013-14.

The 33-year-old left-hander was often criticised for his captaincy style, and his batting form, a level of scrutiny that Clarke said was unwarranted.

“He was a fighter and he batted in what I believe is the toughest position in our game, opening the batting,” Clarke added.

“He found a way to score runs in all conditions. And that’s a sign of a great player, that he can adapt and find a way to be successful all around the world. He probably hasn’t received the credit he has deserved for being such a good player,” added the World Cup-winning skipper.

One of Cook’s finest performances came during the 2010-11 Ashes series in Australia. He batted over 36 hours in the five-match series which is a world record in a five Test series and an English record even including six Test series.

He bagged the Man of the Match award after scoring a mammoth 766 runs to become England’s second highest series scorer behind 906 by Wally Hammond. In five games, he scored one double century, two centuries and as many fifties.

Former Australia fast bowler Peter Siddle also paid his tribute to Cook, saying his ability to adapt to different conditions was admired even by the opposition dressing-room.

“It could be incredibly frustrating trying to bowl at him when he was playing at his best — and he was amazing during that series,” Siddle said.

“He would take the same approach if he was under pressure or if he had been dominating our bowlers. Even from the opposition dressing room, that was something you had to admire.”

Cook will be looking to bow out on a high when he takes the field for England one last time at The Oval from September 7.