Sir Alastair Cook

'15,000 Test runs and 50 Test centuries are not beyond him' - Sunil Gavaskar said about Alastair Cook.

It is not easy for a batsman to receive such high praise from a former cricketer, especially when the concerned persons are from different countries. The fact that those words came from a batsman who is considered one of the best openers Test cricket has ever seen makes it even praiseworthy. Such is Cook’s reputation in World Cricket at the moment that, at the age of 28, he is already considered as a legend, or at least one in the making.

It is never easy being a Test opener in the country of England – the new ball generally swings rapidly and it takes a great deal of quality for any opener to survive, let alone score runs consistently. But Cook is blessed with a robust technique, temperament and the patience required to counter the conditions even when they are not conducive to batting, especially at the top order.

Nothing describes Cook’s ability to score runs more than his high scores in Test cricket. He has more Test centuries than any other English batsman to have played the game. More than the number of centuries, what’s impressive is his hunger for big runs even after scoring a hundred. England’s batting coach – Graham Gooch – insisted on his batsmen to score “Daddy hundreds”, and not be content with just centuries. Cook learnt those lessons to perfection and has 7 scores in excess of 150, including 2 double centuries. While his highest score of 294 against India at Birmingham in 2011 was a marathon knock which showcased all his qualities – patience, class, technique and ability to bat long, his 122 against the same opponent on a rank turner at Mumbai in 2012 elevated him to the league of legends.

The toughest Test for any batsman, especially from England, comes when he goes to Australia or India. The former because of England’s historical rivalry (the Ashes), and the latter because of England’s struggles in the spinner-friendly Indian pitches. Cook has not only passed both the tests, but has also returned staggering numbers in both continents.

It was evident right from his Test debut that Cook was someone who would make it big. He started his Test career with a century against India in 2006, and went on to score centuries in his first appearances against Pakistan, West Indies and Bangladesh and also became the second youngest player to get to 5000 runs in Tests, after the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. He suffered a loss of form in 2008, but recovered the very next season and rose rapidly up the ranks in world cricket. His consistency with the bat made him the obvious choice for captaincy after Andrew Strauss, and his cricket attained new heights after the responsibility was thrust on him. Cook has made 6 centuries from his first 7 Tests as captain, a stat made even more astounding given that 6 of those Tests were played in the sub-continent.

Cook has an extraordinary ability to learn and adapt to conditions and situations in quick time. His favourite shots are the cut and pull, and that enables him to play short pitch bowling with extreme ease. That explains his success in Australia – he has scored 1042 runs from 10 matches down under, with 4 centuries and an average in excess of 65. While his strong back-foot play has helped him score runs on the bouncy tracks in Australia, his ability to come on the front-foot and use his height for a long stride has led to tremendous success in the spinner friendly Asian conditions – he has 1802 runs from 18 matches in the sub-continent, with an average of 56.31 – a mindboggling stat for an Englishman in conditions that suit spin. His brilliance at the top of the order helped England win the Ashes in Australia in 2011. He scored 3 centuries in the first 3 Tests in India and was the biggest factor in England winning the Test series in India in 2012. He was the highest run getter and Man of the Series in both the occasions – a trivia which speaks for itself.

There is one quality about Alastair Cook that goes unnoticed among his many characteristics – his ability to adapt to various formats. Being the correct batsman that he is, he was a victim of branding and was considered fit only for the longer versions of the game. But he proved all of them wrong after he was given the ODI captaincy post the 2011 World Cup. Cook has scored 4 of his 5 ODI centuries as captain, and his average as captain (47) is considerably more than his average as a normal player (40).

Undoubtedly, Cook enjoyed a thoroughly fruitful 2013 as England captain, having marshalled his troops to an emphatic 3-0 Ashes triumph at home before England finished runners-up in the 2013 Champions Trophy.

Cook and his men though received a brutal reality check in the subsequent Ashes opener at Brisbane with their arch-rivals surging to a mammoth 381 run win. Cook went on to become the youngest ever to play 100 Tests, beating Sachin Tendulkar in the 3rd Ashes Test in Perth. However, the down-slide continued and England suffered a humiliating 5-0 whitewash Down Under. Their pitiful plight extended in the ODIs as well as they were able to win only one game. Under the scanner for his passive captaincy and harsh demands of stepping down from the job, Cook decided to skip the West Indies tour in early 2014.

Having already won an Ashes series away from home, albeit as a player, Cook followed the 2013 Ashes win at home with another in 2015. He didn't get a hundred as a batsman, but his overall contributions was invaluable. It was then followed by a massive 263 against Pakistan as England nearly threatened to derail Pakistan in their new fortress, Abu Dhabi. It turned out to be minor consolation that His team went on to lose the next two Tests and the series.

Cook put that debacle behind him as he led his team to a stunning 2-1 win over South Africa in the 2015-16 winter. That meant he had added South Africa to his overseas collection which had also included India. 2016 turned out to be a tough year for Cook - he didn't do too badly with the bat, as his 1270 runs with two Test hundreds, but his captaincy came under severe test. The success against South Africa was followed by a comfortable home series win over Sri Lanka but then things went pear shaped.

England only managed a 2-2 series draw against Pakistan at home but the worse was yet to come. They lost a Test in Bangladesh for the first time ever and it was followed by a convincing 4-0 demolition at the hands of India. Cook - the batsman, struggled in India and was particularly susceptible to the left-arm spin of Ravindra Jadeja - who got him dismissed five times during the course of the series. There were calls for him to quit England captaincy at the end of the series and Cook's body language suggested that he has had enough of leading England.

As expected, Cook resigned from the captain's role on 6th February 2017 after leading the side for an English record 59 Tests. His record includes Ashes victories at home in 2013 and 2015 as well as series wins in India and South Africa. However, Cook has stated his willingness to continue playing on as a batsman in the longest format of the game.

After handing over the reins Joe Root, there seemed to be an air of nonchalance in Cook's approach to batting. Although he, admittedly, struggled during 2017-18 the South Africa series at home, the next series offered him the opportunity to stamp his mark as one of country's best Test batsman. Cook went onto score 243 at Edgbaston in the series opener against the Windies, where England crushed the visitors by an innings and 209 runs.

Interesting fact: Alastair Cook's 243 was the highest individual score where a batsman was adjudicated OUT with the help of DRS.

Cricbuzz staff