{"id":296100,"date":"2023-10-13T20:09:43","date_gmt":"2023-10-13T20:09:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=296100"},"modified":"2023-10-13T20:09:43","modified_gmt":"2023-10-13T20:09:43","slug":"its-the-right-time-ex-england-captain-sir-alastair-cook-announces-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/%d1%81ricket\/its-the-right-time-ex-england-captain-sir-alastair-cook-announces-retirement\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s the right time: Ex-England captain Sir Alastair Cook announces retirement"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook has brought the curtain down on his record-breaking cricket career, saying: \u201cIt is the right time for this part of my life to come to an end.\u201d<\/p>\n

The left-handed opener\u2019s 12,472 Test runs is the most by any English batter, placing him fifth in the all-time list, but after retiring from international duty in 2018, he carried on playing for Essex.<\/p>\n

His contract at the county expired at the conclusion of the domestic season last month and the 38-year-old, part of Essex\u2019s County Championship-winning side in 2019, has elected against seeking a renewal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not easy to say goodbye,\u201d Cook said in a statement. \u201cFor more than two decades, cricket has been so much more than my job. It is the right time for this part of my life to come to an end.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have always given absolutely everything I possibly have to be the best player I could be, but now I want to make way for the new generation to take over.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the eight-year-old boy who first played for Wickham Bishops Under 11s to now, I end with a strange feeling of sadness mixed with pride. Although, above all, I am incredibly happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Essex head coach Anthony McGrath had hoped \u201cwe\u2019ll see him for a bit longer\u201d as speculation swirled about Cook\u2019s future after the Chelmsford club finished runners-up to Surrey in the championship.<\/p>\n

But Cook\u2019s decision to retire ends a remarkable career which began in 2003, impressing enough early on to earn the first of 161 Test caps three years later against India in Nagpur, making a ton on debut.<\/p>\n

He went on to amass another 32 Test centuries \u2013 an England record \u2013 and was part of Ashes series wins in 2009, 2010\/11, 2013 and 2015, captaining them in the latter two. His 766 runs in the 2010\/11 series saw him crowned player of the series and helped England seal a first win Down Under since 1986\/87.<\/p>\n

Cook won 24 of his 59 Tests as England captain between 2010 and 2016 and skippered the ODI side between 2010 and 2014 before being unceremoniously axed just months before the World Cup the following year.<\/p>\n

He bowed out of England duty with a hundred against India at the Kia Oval in September 2018 and was given a knighthood for services to cricket a few months later in the New Year Honours List.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough my England career came to an end in 2018, I remain blown away by the amount of affection I receive from England supporters,\u201d Cook said.<\/p>\n

I have always given absolutely everything I possibly have to be the best player I could be, but now I want to make way for the new generation to take over<\/p>\n

\u201cWherever I have travelled, you have been there with your enthusiasm, kind words and unshakeable belief. English cricket really does have the best fans in the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will never underestimate the privilege I have had to play cricket. I will always be grateful for what the game has given to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the end of a distinguished international career, Cook showed he still had plenty of appetite and was Essex\u2019s leading run-scorer in their 2019 championship triumph, while he topped the charts in the Covid-shortened summer of 2020 to help his side go all the way in the Bob Willis Trophy.<\/p>\n

The last of his 352 first-class appearances \u2013 in which he registered 26,643 runs and 74 hundreds at an average of 46.41, fractionally above his Test mark of 45.35 \u2013 came against Northamptonshire a fortnight ago. In sharp contrast to his fairytale England exit, Cook made two single-figure scores.<\/p>\n

Cook \u2013 who thanked his family and the staff at Essex as well as mentor Graham Gooch in his farewell statement \u2013 added: \u201cWhen I ended my international career, I had no idea that I would have five more bonus years playing for Essex. I cannot put into words just how much fun we have had during that time.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlaying a full part in the season when Essex won the County Championship in 2019 is one of my favourite achievements in the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look forward to watching Essex continue to punch above their weight, hopefully winning many more trophies in the coming years.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, I hope the Bedfordshire Farmers will find space for a has-been \u2018all-rounder\u2019 somewhere in their lower order.\u201d<\/p>\n

Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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