Alastair Cook retires from England duty, saying ‘there is nothing left in the tank’

Alastair Cook has called time on his record-breaking England career and will bow out at the end of the fifth Test with India after admitting “there is nothing left in the tank”.

The 33-year-old will make his 161st and final Test appearance at the Oval from Friday – a match that sees Joe Root’s side having already taken the series through an unassailable 3-1 lead – but will continue playing county cricket for Essex.

It will mark the end of a hugely significant 12-year chapter in English cricket, with Cook having risen from a century on debut in Nagpur in 2006 to become the country’s record run-scorer in Test cricket; his tally sits at 12,254 and includes 32 centuries.

The left-hander, who stepped down from a four-year spell as the Test captain in February last year after leading the side 59 times, has endured a challenging summer in which he has averaged only 22.

Cook, in a statement issued a day after England’s 60-run victory over India in Southampton, said: “After much thought and deliberation over the last few months I have decided to announce my retirement from international cricket at the end of this Test series against India.

Quick guide

Alastair Cook’s remarkable England career in numbers

Most Test runs for England

12,254 Alastair Cook (average 44.88)

8,900 Graham Gooch (42.58)

8,463 Alec Stewart (39.54)

8,231 David Gower (44.25)

8,181 Kevin Pietersen (47.28)

Most balls faced in Test cricket since Cook’s debut in March 2006

26,086 Alastair Cook (England)

17,806 Hashim Amla (South Africa)

15,554 Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)

14,165 Ian Bell (England)

13,987 AB de Villiers (South Africa)

Most hundreds for England

32 Alastair Cook

23 Kevin Pietersen

22 Ian Bell, Geoffrey Boycott, Colin Cowdrey, Wally Hammond

Most ‘Daddy’ hundreds for England (150+)

11 Alastair Cook

10 Wally Hammond, Len Hutton, Kevin Pietersen

8 Dennis Amiss, Graham Gooch, David Gower

Most Test runs as an opener

11,627 Alastair Cook (England)

9,607 Sunil Gavaskar (India)

9,030 Graeme Smith (South Africa/World XI)

8,625 Matthew Hayden (Australia)

8,207 Virender Sehwag (India/World XI)

NB Cook scored 627 Test runs batting at No3 or No7

Most Tests for England

160 Alastair Cook

142 Jimmy Anderson

133 Alec Stewart

122 Stuart Broad

118 Ian Bell, Graham Gooch

Most consecutive Tests

158 Alastair Cook (England, 2006-18)

153 Allan Border (Australia, 1979-94)

107 Mark Waugh (Australia, 1993-2002)

106 Sunil Gavaskar (India, 1975-87)

101 Brendon McCullum (New Zealand, 2004-16)

Most Test runs in Asia by a non-Asian batsman

2,710 Alastair Cook (England, average 53.13)

2,058 Jacques Kallis (South Africa, 55.62)

1,889 Ricky Ponting (Australia, 41.97)

1,859 Hashim Amla (South Africa, 47.66)

1,850 Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies, 48.68)

294 Highest Test score, against India in 2011.

766 Runs scored in the 2010-11 Ashes, when England won in Australia for the first time in 24 years.

173 Catches taken in Test cricket, the most by an England outfielder.

59 Tests as captain, another England record.

562 Runs scored in four Tests against India in 2012-13, his first series as full-time captain. England won a series in India for the first time in 28 years.

15 Opening partners in his career: Andrew Strauss, Michael Vaughan, Michael Carberry, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Nick Compton, Joe Root, Sam Robson, Adam Lyth, Moeen Ali, Alex Hales, Ben Duckett, Haseeb Hameed, Keaton Jennings, Mark Stoneman.

Test wicket: Ishant Sharma at Trent Bridge in 2014.

46.57 Cook’s average as captain. When he was in the ranks he averaged 43.84.  

46.97 Cook’s career strike rate per 100 balls – faster than, among others, Graham Thorpe, Robin Smith, Jacques Kallis, Faf du Plessis and Nasser Hussain.

18.62 Cook’s average in 2018, easily his lowest in a calendar year.

Photograph: Anthony Devlin/PA
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“Although it is a sad day, I can do so with a big smile on my face knowing I have given everything and there is nothing left in the tank. I have achieved more than I could have ever imagined and feel very privileged to have played for such a long time alongside some of the greats of the English game.

“The thought of not sharing the dressing room, again, with some of my teammates was the hardest part of my decision but I know the timing is right.

Alastair Cook

Alastair Cook scored his maiden century on his Test match debut on the fourth day of the first Test match between India and England in Nagpur in 2006. Photograph: Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty Images

“I have loved cricket my whole life from playing in the garden as a child and will never underestimate how special it is to pull on an England shirt. So I know it is the right time to give the next generation of young cricketers their turn to entertain us and feel the immense pride that comes with representing your country.”

Cook went on to thank his long-time mentor, Graham Gooch, whose England Test runs record of 8,900 he passed in 2015, as well as England’s supporters and his family. His wife, Alice, is expecting their third child imminently.

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He said: “There are too many people to thank individually but a special mention must go to the Barmy Army and all supporters for their constant encouragement for the team and also a special mention to Graham Gooch.

“Graham was my sounding board, especially in the early years of my career, spending hour after hour throwing balls at me with his dog stick. He made me realise you always need to keep improving whatever you are trying to achieve.

“My family and I have had 12 wonderful years fulfilling my dreams and this could not have been done without them. So I wish to thank my parents and brothers, my wife, Alice, and her family for their quiet, unwavering support behind the scenes. As cricketers, who travel frequently, we often don’t realise just how important our families are to our success.

“I would also like to thank Essex for their help and support ever since I was 12, and I can’t wait to get fully involved with them in the 2019 season. I wish the England team every success in the future and I will be watching with great excitement.”