England great Alaister Cook announced on Monday he would retire from international cricket after the end of the ongoing home series against India, with the opening batsman saying the time was right as he had “nothing left in the tank”.
The 33-year-old Essex left-hander is England’s all-time leading Test runscorer with 12,254 runs at 44.88 including 32 hundreds,56 fifties,173 catches, 4 Ashes series wins, while his run of 158 consecutive Test appearances is a world record.
But the former England captain, who has played in 160 Tests in total, has struggled for runs recently and averages a meagre 18.92 from nine Tests this year.
“There is nothing left in the tank,” said Cook, who captained his country in a record 59 Tests.
The fifth Test of the series, in which England have an unassailable 3-1 lead, starts on Friday at The Oval.
Cook is sixth on the all-time list of Test run-scorers and has made a record 11,627 runs as an opener.
He added: “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.”
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