By Liam Harding
SIR Alastair cook has declared his retirement from professional cricket after a leading 20 year career.
Cook initially retired in 2018 from Test Cricket but returned to playing for five more years with Essex since.
The 38 year old started his career against Essex for Essex Cricket Board during the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy in 2003, before featuring in the County Championship in the Summer of that year with Essex.
He created a double hundred for Essex versus the touring Australians in 2005, the next season he was heroically selected from an England Lions tour in the West Indies, debuting for England against India in Nagpur, batting a century in the second inning.
This would be the catalyst for a career witnessing him capped 161 times, with 159 consecutively picked up in an all time cricket World Record.
Cook also sets the England record for 12,472 Test runs and 33 centuries, while no other cricketer has ever scored 11,845 run in a Test opener.
He was chosen as England Test captain from 2012-2017, captaining 58 matches a record since exceeded by Joe Root.
Cook also skippered England to ashes series victories on home ground in 2013 and 2015, he was also on the receiving end of a 5-0 thrashing in 2013/14 season.
The Cricketers most worshiped achievement are is 766 runs he achieved throughout the 2010/11 campaign victory in Australia in the ashes claiming the player of the series award.
During Cooks first final farewell match after stating his retirement originally he scored a century at the Oval for England versus India.
After leaving the game for a second time, Cook, said;” its not easy to say goodbye, cricket has been so much more than my job.
“its allowed me to experience places I never dreamed I would go, be part of teams that have achieved things I never thought possible and, most importantly, created deep friendships that will last a lifetime.
“From the eight year-old boy who first played for Wickam Bishops Under-11s to now, I end with a strange feeling of sadness mixed with pride.”
Cook further reminisced;” above all I’m incredibly happy” said in a nutshell about his inspirational career.
Manager Anthony McGrath preys that the “County see him for a bit longer” however Cook told Essex he would be stepping down from Cricket on Thursday evening.
During Cooks return he originally penned a three year contract with Essex who he signed with when he was 12 years-old.
In his first season back from retirement Cook won the County Championship, beating the Somerset Spinners in a dramatic season finale.
Essex were the favourites this year for the county championship but eventually lost out narrowly to Surrey.
His final first class game of his 352 came against Northants away, which witnessed him being out for six innings on both occasions to Ben Sanderson.
In total Cook bowes reaching 26,643 first-class-runs, accumulating far more than any other cricketer currently playing, scoring at an average of more than 46, alongside 74 hundreds.
