Former England captain and legendary batter Alastair Cook retired from all forms of cricket after the conclusion of the 2023 County Championship.
Alastair Cook retired from international cricket in 2018, however, he continued to play county cricket for Essex, from where he started his first-class career back in 2003.
The 38-year-old southpaw has accumulated 26643 runs in first-class cricket so far in 352 matches, with the help of 74 hundreds and 125 half-centuries.
He scored 836 runs in the ongoing County Championship from 26 innings at an average of 36.72 with one century and three half-centuries.
👑 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗿𝗮.
Alastair Cook has today retired from all forms of professional cricket.#ThankYouChef pic.twitter.com/eE4MdZIAae
— Essex Cricket (@EssexCricket) October 13, 2023
“It is not easy to say goodbye. For more than two decades, cricket has been so much more than my job,” said Alastair Cook in a statement released by his boyhood club Essex.
“It has allowed me to experience places I never dreamed I would go, be part of teams that have achieved things I would never have thought possible and, most importantly, created deep friendships that will last a lifetime.
“From 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. It is the right time for this part of my life to come to an end.”
Furthermore, Alastair Cook expressed his gratitude to Essex Cricket, a county side, where he started and concluded his professional first-class career.
“I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Essex, the county I joined when I was aged 12. When I ended my international career, I had no idea that I would have five more bonus years of playing for Essex.
“I cannot put into words how much fun we have had during that time.
“I won’t miss strapping on my pads and facing the new ball, but I will miss being in the Eagles changing room.
“Playing a full part in the season when Essex won the County Championship in 2019 is one of my favourite achievements in the game. I look forward to watching Essex continue to punch above their weight, hopefully winning many more trophies in the coming years.
The former England captain plans to spend more time with his family at the family farm and put more time into his new career in the media with BBC and TNT Sport.
Alastair Cook has enjoyed a highly decorated international career. He is England’s highest run scorer in Test cricket with 12472 runs at 45.35 with the help of 33 centuries and 57 half-centuries.
He is the fifth-highest run-scorer in the history of Test cricket and the highest among openers. His tally of 33 Test centuries is the seventh-highest in the format. Only Sunil Gavaskar has scored more hundreds as a Test opener (33) than Cook (31).