Sir Alastair Cook’s exit from first-class cricket was not so spectacular as his departure from the international game. Five years ago, he signed off with a century against India in front of a full house at the Oval. His farewell to domestic cricket last month was at a damp, autumnal, sparsely inhabited Northampton in a match that his beloved Essex, in a forlorn pursuit of the County Championship title, lost by an innings. But he’s not the type to fret about that. He has never pursued the limelight and he’s been around long enough not to expect another perfectly choreographed farewell.
Even so, this is a moment. One of England’s greatest openers and this country’s highest runscorer in Test cricket has come to the end of a brilliant – and unusual – career. Cook played 161 Tests and was never dropped (the likes of Don Bradman, Ricky Ponting and Joe Root all endured that). He missed just one game through injury back in 2006. Even more unusual is the fact that he kept playing for Essex for another five years after withdrawing from Test cricket.
