In Pictures: Alastair Cook's Glittering Career

Alastair Cook, on Monday, announced he would retire at the end of ongoing England vs India series. Cook will don the England jersey for one last time when the fifth Test gets underway on September 7 at The Oval.

Cook is just 33 but decided to quit after a long lean patch with the bat. 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.

So without further ado, we take a look at Cook’s glittering career through pictures:

Century on debut in 2006:

Nagpur was the place where it all began for one of England’s greatest-ever batsmen. He was included in the ECB National Academy in the winter of 2005–06 but his tour of West Indies was cut short on 24 February. He played just one innings before being called up to the squad for the tour of India. With opener Marcus Trescothick suffering from stress, Cook was given the responsibility to replace him.

He made his debut straightaway and made an instant impact. In the first innings, he scored 60 before scoring 104 not out in the second. It made him the sixteenth Englishman to score a century on his Test debut.

First ton at home:

Despite scoring a ton on his debut as opener, he was shifted to number three to accommodate the returning Marcus Trescothick that summer. But even that did not stop him churning out runs from his bat. He fell 11 runs short of scoring a hundred in his first Test on home soil, against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, and made amends weeks later against Pakistan at the same venue. In the very following Test, he scored 127 against the same opposition at Old Trafford.

First Ashes ton:

The Ashes tour of 2006-07 was a forgettable one for England as they were whitewashed. But Cook gave English fans something to shout about with a battling century in the third Test at Perth. Set a colossal 557 runs to win, England lost Andrew Strauss for a four-ball duck but Cook troubled the hosts before flicking the great Shane Warne for a single to post his first Ashes hundred.

Magic Down Under:

Perhaps the finest moment of Cook’s career came in the Ashes tour of 2010-11. 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.

Winning Ashes in Australia:

Cook’s mammoth run-scoring helped England finally taste win Down Under. The Andrew Strauss-led side beat Australia 3-1 to register their first Ashes series win in Australia since 1987.

Recognised for his contribution to the game:

In 2011, Cook was awarded an MBE for his achievements.

Replaces Andrew Strauss as captain:

Cook was an automatic choice for the post of captain after Andrew Strauss hung up his boots. After taking charge on 29 August 2012, he led England in 59 Tests during his four-and-a-half year spell which featured 24 wins and 22 defeats.

Series win in India:

On 7 December 2012, Cook captained England to its first Test series victory on Indian soil since 1984–85, as well as overtaking Mike Gatting as England’s highest ever run scorer in India.  On the same tour, he became England’s leading scorer of centuries after making a hundred in Kolkata.

Champions Trophy final:

Cook was agonisingly close to ending England’s long wait for their first-ever global ICC trophy.However, his side lost against India in the final of the Champions Trophy at home.

England continue their Ashes domination:

Cook led England to their third consecutive Ashes win in 2013. England won the series 3–0, with wins at Trent Bridge, Lord’s and the Riverside Ground.

Revenge at home:

One of the lowest points during Cook’s career was the 5-0 Ashes whitewash during the tour of 2013-14. However in 2015, he led his country to the Ashes, winning his second Ashes as skipper.

England’s leading run-scorer in Tests:

In 2015, Cook became England’s all-time leading Test run-scorer, surpassing his own mentor Graham Gooch. Gooch’s 8,900 had stood for 20 years as England’s historic benchmark before Cook bettered it.

Triumph in South Africa:

Cook led England to a 2-1 win over South Africa in 2015-16 which remains one of England’s finest-ever overseas wins.

Steps Down as captain:

After leading his side in an English record of 59 Tests, Cook stepped down as skipper in 2017. His decision came a month and half after England were crushed 4-0 by India. Prior to that, they had drawn the Test series in Bangladesh, losing their first-ever Test to the Tigers.

Equals Don Bradman:

The century against Pakistan at home in 2016 helped him equal Don Bradman’s 29 Test centuries tally.

Double century at MCG:

Cook’s 244 knock at the MCG in the Ashes Test last year was one of his best knocks in recent times. He went on to carry his bat and put England into a lead of over 100. His 244 not out is the highest Test score by an opener who has carried the bat.