The Records And Achievement Of Alastair Cook

Alastair Cook, on Monday, announced he will retire from international cricket after the fifth and final Test against India at The Oval. Cook will go down in the history of the game as one of the finest-ever openers.

The 33-year-old also departs as one of England’s most decorated players. He has played more Tests, scored more runs and more centuries than any England cricketer in history. Cook took the decision to hang his boots due to his prolonged poor form which has perhaps reached its zenith in the ongoing series.

Cook made his debut for England in March 2006 against India in Nagpur, and has gone on to score 12,254 runs in 160 Tests. He took up the England captaincy in 2012 and led the side in 59 Test matches, winning 24 of them. Highlights of Cook’s reign as England captain include two home Ashes victories, as well as series wins in India and South Africa.

So with the great player all set to play his final international game, we take a look at all The Records And Achievement Of Alastair Cook:

• He is the youngest Englishman to score 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 and 6,000 Test runs.

• Cook is also the youngest player to score 6,000, 7,000, 8,000, 9,000, 10,000, 11,000 and 12,000 runs in Test cricket.

• He began his Test career with a fifty and a century. He became the 16th England player to start his Test career with a century.

• In December 2006, he became the first and only England player till date to score 4 centuries before his 22nd birthday.

• In May 2007, he became the first and only England player till date to score 1,000 runs in maiden year.

• Cook, in December 2007, became the first and only England player till date to score 7 centuries before his 23rd birthday.

• Cook and Andrew Strauss hold the English record for highest opening stand. In February 2009, they had added 229 against West Indies.

• In November 2010, he was involved in England’s record partnership in Australia adding 329 with Jonathan Trott at the Gabba.

• Cook holds the English record for most runs scored and time spent at the crease between dismissals. During the Ashes Down Under, he scored 383 runs and occupied the crease for 1,053 minutes without getting dismissed

• He finished the 2010-11 Ashes with a staggering 766 runs and occupied the crease for a world-record 2,171 minutes in a five-match series.

• In December 2012, he broke Kevin Pietersen’s record of most Test centuries for England after scoring his 24th.

• Cook is the first captain to score a century in first five Tests.

• With 866 runs, he is England’s highest run scorer in India (866 runs).

• In 2015, he became England’s leading run-scorer in Tests after breaking Graham Gooch’s tally of 8,901 runs.

• Cook, in August 2015, became the first England cricketer to be involved in 50 Test wins.

• In the same year, he played the longest Test innings by an English player (836 minutes) and third longest of all-time during his 263-run knock against Pakistan in UAE.

• Cook became the all-time highest non-Asian run scorer in Asia in October 2015.

• In October 2016, he became England’s most capped player in Tests, surpassing Alec Stewart’s record of 134. A month later, he became England’s most capped Test captain, surpassing Mike Atherton’s record of 54.

• He holds the record of most Test centuries by England skipper.

• In December 2017, he became the 6th highest run scorer in Test cricket, surpassing Brian Lara’s record of 11,953 runs and reaching 12,000 Test runs.

• In June 2018, he broke Allan Border’s record of playing most consecutive Test matches when he played his 154th Test on the trot.