Cook retires: The numbers behind England´s most prolific Test batsman
Alastair Cook announced he will retire from international cricket following the conclusion of the fifth and final Test against India at the Oval.
The opener brings the curtain down on a 12-year career with England, during which time he became his country’s all-time leading run scorer in the longest form of the game.
Cook’s time as a Test batsman will be bookended with matches against India, having made his debut in Nagpur in March 2006.
A dozen years later, he will bow out against Virat Kohli’s number-one ranked side in what is sure to be a celebratory occasion in London, especially with England having already secured a series victory.
Below, we look at some of the key numbers that underline Cook’s status as one of the game’s great batsmen.
And what a career it was!
What has been your Cook highlight?#CookRetires #ThankYouChef pic.twitter.com/szGnuAVh77
— ICC (@ICC) September 3, 2018
160 – Test matches played, between March 2006 and September 2018. The clash at the Oval will be Cook’s 159th in succession – more than any man in history.
12,254 – Runs scored for England. That puts him more than 3,000 clear than the next best for his country, Graham Gooch (8,900). Cook stands sixth in the all-time list.
26,086 – Balls faced for those runs. Or, if you prefer, 4,347 overs and four balls.
294 – His highest score in Tests, versus India at Edgbaston in August 2011.
44.88 – Cook’s Test average. Should he be dismissed twice at the Oval, he would need to score 121 across the two innings to finish with an average of 45.
32 – Test-match hundreds, putting him joint-10th on the all-time list alongside Steve Waugh. Kevin Pietersen (23) is his closest challenger in an England shirt.
56 – Fifties, giving him a conversion rate of 36 per cent.
173 – Catches taken, the majority of which were from first slip.
1 – Test-match wicket, against India at Trent Bridge in July 2014. The batsman? Ishant Sharma, who edged behind to Matt Prior.
