Alastair Cook facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Alastair Cook

Cook in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Alastair Nathan Cook
Born	(1984-12-25) 25 December 1984 (age 40) Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England
Nickname	Cookie, Chef, Captain Cook
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Batting	Left-handed
Bowling	Right-arm slow seam
Role	Opening batsman
International information
National side	England (2006–2018)
Test debut (cap 630)	1 March 2006 v India
Last Test	7 September 2018 v India
ODI debut (cap 196)	28 June 2006 v Sri Lanka
Last ODI	16 December 2014 v Sri Lanka
ODI shirt no.	26
T20I debut (cap 24)	28 June 2007 v West Indies
Last T20I	15 November 2009 v South Africa
T20I shirt no.	26
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2002	Bedfordshire
2003	Essex Cricket Board
2003–2023	Essex (squad no. 26)
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 161 92 352 178 Runs scored 12,472 3,204 26,643 6,510 Batting average 45.35 36.40 46.41 39.93 100s/50s 33/57 5/19 74/125 13/38 Top score 294 137 294 137 Balls bowled 18 – 294 18 Wickets 1 – 7 0 Bowling average 7.00 – 32.00 – 5 wickets in innings 0 – 0 – 10 wickets in match 0 – 0 – Best bowling 1/6 – 3/13 – Catches/stumpings 175/– 36/– 386/– 73/–
Medal record Men's Cricket Representing  England ICC Champions Trophy Runner-up 2013 England and Wales
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 29 September 2023

Sir Alastair Nathan Cook (born 25 December 1984) is a famous English former cricket player. He used to be the captain of England's Test and One-Day International (ODI) teams. Many people think he is one of the best opening batsmen in Test cricket history.

Cook holds the record for the most Test runs scored by an England player. He is also the sixth-highest Test run scorer of all time globally. He retired from international cricket in September 2018. After that, he played for Essex County Cricket Club until 2023. He also worked for the BBC radio show Test Match Special.

He played more Test matches than any other specialist England batsman. He led the England team in 59 Test matches and 69 One-Day Internationals. Cook is the youngest player to score 12,000 Test runs. He scored a record 33 Test centuries for England. He was also the first England player to win 50 Test matches. As a left-handed opening batsman, he usually played at first slip when fielding.

Early Life and Education

Alastair Cook was born in Gloucester, England. His mother was a teacher, and his father was a telecommunications engineer. His father also played village cricket.

Cook was very musical when he was young. By age eight, he was learning the clarinet. He became a chorister at St Paul's Cathedral School in London. This school is connected to the famous cathedral. He had a very busy schedule of rehearsals and schoolwork. Cook later said that this focus helped him with his cricket batting.

When he was a boy, his family lived in Wickham Bishops in Essex. During summer holidays, he played cricket for Maldon Cricket Club. By age 11, he was already playing in the adult Third XI team. He played for Maldon for seven years.

At 13, Cook became a student at Bedford School. He sang, played the clarinet, piano, and saxophone. But cricket soon became his main passion. When the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) played against Bedford School, 14-year-old Cook was asked to join the MCC team. He scored a century (100 runs) in that game!

Over the next four years, he scored 17 centuries and two double-centuries for his school. He scored 4,396 runs with an average of 87.90. He captained the cricket team in his last year. He also got good grades in his A-Levels and GCSEs. In 2003, his final year, he scored 1,287 runs for the school. This included two unbeaten double-centuries.

Playing for Essex

Cook batting in 2005

Cook joined the Essex Youth Academy when he was 16. He made his first-class debut for Essex in 2003. He quickly showed his talent, scoring three half-centuries in his first six games.

In May 2004, he scored his first-class century for Essex. He scored 126 runs. In 2005, he played against the Australian team during their tour. He scored a double-century in a two-day match. He also won the PCA Young Cricketer of the Year award. That year, he helped Essex win the Totesport League Title.

Cook playing for Essex in 2010

After he started playing for England, Cook played less often for Essex. However, he still performed very well when he did play. He helped Essex win Division Two and get promoted in 2008.

After retiring from international cricket in 2018, Cook continued to play for Essex. He signed a three-year contract with them. In 2019, he helped Essex win the County Championship title. In 2020, he reached 24,000 runs in first-class cricket. In 2022, he scored his 70th first-class century. He announced his full retirement from professional cricket in October 2023.

Cook leaving the field after his final innings vs Northants CCC

England Youth Teams

Cook first played international cricket in the Under-15 World Cup in 2000. In 2003, he joined the England Under-19 team for their tour of South Africa.

The next year, in 2004, Cook became the captain of the England Under-19 team. He led them in the U19 World Cup in the West Indies. He guided England through the group stages and beyond. He scored 87 runs against Pakistan, who eventually won the tournament. He also captained them to a Test win and a One-Day series win against Bangladesh.

His time with the Under-19 team ended when he was called up to the England A tour of Sri Lanka. Later, he joined the ECB National Academy.

Playing for England

Cook was called up to the England team in India in 2006. This was a last-minute replacement for another player. He made his Test debut at just 21 years old.

He made a huge impact right away. He scored a half-century (60 runs) in his first innings. Then, he scored 104 runs not out in his second innings. This made him the sixteenth Englishman to score a century on his debut. He was also one of only five players to score both a century and a half-century in their first Test. His century was the 3,000th century in Test cricket history.

Cook in catching practice during the 2006–07 Ashes tour

Cook continued to perform well. He scored his second Test century against Pakistan in 2006. He also scored his then-best score of 127 runs. He was named Young Player of the Year again. He was also nominated for the ICC Emerging Player of the Year award.

He was selected for the 2006–07 Ashes series in Australia. He scored his first Ashes century (119 runs) in a difficult match. This was his fourth Test century before turning 22. No other England player had scored more than two by that age. In December 2006, he scored his thousandth Test run. He was only the second cricketer to do this in their first year.

In 2007, Cook continued his strong Test form against the West Indies. He scored another century and a half-century. He won his first Man of The Match award. He also became the youngest English player to reach 1,500 Test runs. Later that year, he scored his first One-Day International (ODI) century against India.

Cook bowled his first Test over against South Africa at Lord's.

In 2008, Cook became the youngest Englishman to score 2,000 Test runs. This happened during the tour of New Zealand. He also bowled his first Test over against South Africa at Lord's.

Becoming Captain and Ashes Success

In 2009, Cook became the unofficial vice-captain for the tour of the West Indies. He scored his eighth Test century, an unbeaten 139 runs. He also became the youngest Englishman to pass 3,000 Test runs.

Cook played a key role in England winning the 2009 Ashes series. He helped England win their first Test match against Australia at Lord's since 1934. He took the winning catch to seal the Ashes victory.

In 2010, Cook was given the captaincy role for England's tour against Bangladesh. This was to see how he would do as a future leader. He led the team to a win in his first Test as captain. He scored a century in the first innings. He also reached 4,000 Test runs, becoming the youngest Englishman to do so. He scored another century in the second Test, leading England to a nine-wicket win.

Cook and his fellow England teammates celebrate in the field as Chris Tremlett takes the winning wicket in the 2010–11 Ashes series.

Cook had an amazing performance in the 2010–11 Ashes series in Australia. He scored 235 runs not out in the first Test, his first double-century. This was a record score at the Gabba ground. He and Andrew Strauss also became England's highest-scoring opening partners. He scored another century (148 runs) in the second Test. In the final Test, he scored 189 runs. He reached 5,000 Test runs in his career during this series. He spent over 36 hours at the crease, a world record for a five-Test series. He scored 766 runs in total. He won both the Man of the Match and Man of the Series awards.

In 2011, Cook became the full-time captain of England's One-Day International (ODI) team. He led England to a 3–2 series win against Sri Lanka. He was also named the ODI player of the series. Later that year, he scored an amazing 294 runs against India. This helped England win the game and become the world's number one Test team. For his great performances in 2011, he was named in the ICC World Test XI.

Cook batting during the third Test during the 2013 Ashes in England. England won the series 3–0; it was Cook's first Ashes series as captain.

On 29 August 2012, Cook officially became England's Test captain. He led England to their first Test series victory in India since 1984–85. He became the first captain to score a century in each of his first five Tests in charge. On 6 December 2012, he became England's leading scorer of centuries. He also passed Mike Gatting as England's highest-ever run scorer in India. He was named captain of the ICC World Test XI in 2013 and 2015.

Cook led England in the 2013 Champions Trophy. England reached the final but lost to India. In the 2013 home Ashes series, Cook was captain for the first time in an Ashes series. England won the series 3–0. Cook was praised for his leadership.

However, the next Ashes series in Australia (2013–14) was very tough. England lost 5–0. Despite this, Cook decided to continue as captain.

Cook batting for Essex in 2014

In 2014, Cook took his first Test wicket against India. He bowled medium pace. Later that year, he was removed as One-Day captain because of his poor form in ODI cricket. Eoin Morgan replaced him.

In 2015, Cook scored his first Test century in almost two years against the West Indies. He then became England's leading run scorer in Test matches. He was also the first England player to score 9,000 runs in Tests. He led England to another Ashes victory in 2015. He was praised for his captaincy.

In October 2015, Cook scored his third double-century (263 runs) against Pakistan. This was the longest innings by an Englishman, lasting 836 minutes. He also became the highest non-Asian run-scorer in Asia.

In May 2016, Cook made history by becoming the youngest batsman to score 10,000 Test runs. He broke Sachin Tendulkar's record. He was the 12th international cricketer and the first Englishman to reach this milestone. He also became England's most-capped player in Tests, playing more matches than Alec Stewart. He also became England's most-capped Test captain.

In 2017, Cook played under new captain Joe Root. He scored a double-century (244 not out) in the Boxing Day Ashes Test in Melbourne. This was the highest Test score by an opener who has carried their bat (meaning they were not out when the innings ended).

International Retirement

On 3 September 2018, Alastair Cook announced he would retire from international cricket. His last match was against India. In his final Test, he scored 147 runs. This made him the fifth batsman to score a century in both his first and last Test match. He also became the highest-scoring left-hander in Test history, passing Kumar Sangakkara.

In 2024, he was honored in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. He joined other cricket legends like WG Grace and Brian Lara.

Life Outside Cricket

Cook has written columns for The Daily Telegraph and Metro. He also used his saxophone skills for Freefonix, a children's animated TV series.

In December 2011, Cook married Alice Hunt. They have two daughters and one son. Cook missed some cricket games to be there for the birth of his second child.

Cook helps manage a farm near Leighton Buzzard. He says farming and cricket are his two biggest passions. He published his autobiography, Sir Alastair Cook: My Autobiography, in September 2019.

Achievements

Test Cricket Records

• Youngest Englishman to score 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, and 5,000 Test runs.
• Youngest player (from any country) to score 6,000, 7,000, 8,000, 9,000, 10,000, 11,000 and 12,000 runs in Test cricket.
• Second opener (after Sunil Gavaskar) to reach over 10,000 Test runs. He was the first opener to reach over 11,000 and 12,000 Test runs.

Key Milestones

• March 2006: Scored a century on his Test debut.
• December 2006: Only Englishman to score 4 centuries before his 22nd birthday.
• May 2007: Only Englishman to score 1,000 runs in his first year of Test cricket.
• November 2010: Set England's record for a partnership in Australia (329 with Jonathan Trott).
• December 2012: Broke the record for most Test centuries for England (23 centuries).
• December 2012: First captain worldwide to score a century in his first five Tests.
• May 2015: Became England's highest Test run-scorer.
• August 2015: First England cricketer to be part of 50 Test wins.
• October 2015: Played the longest England Test innings (836 minutes).
• October 2016: Became England's most-capped player in Tests (134 matches).
• November 2016: Became England's most-capped Test captain (59 matches).
• December 2017: Became the sixth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket, reaching 12,000 Test runs.
• June 2018: Played the most consecutive Test matches of all time (153).
• September 2018: Became the highest Test run-scorer among left-handers. He also scored centuries in both his first and last Test match.

Awards and Recognition

• 2005, 2006: PCA Young Cricketer of the Year
• 2011: Freedom of the City of London
• 2011: Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
• 2011: ICC Test Player of The Year
• 2012: Wisden Cricketer of the Year
• 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016: Named in the ICC World Test XI (as captain in 2013, 2015, 2016)
• 2012: Named in the ICC World ODI XI
• 2016: Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
• 2019: Knight Bachelor (meaning he became "Sir" Alastair Cook)
• 2024: Inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame

Images for kids

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  Cook in 2016

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  Cook batting in 2005

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  Cook playing for Essex in 2010

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  Cook bowled his first Test over against South Africa at Lord's.

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  Cook batting for Essex in 2019

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  Cook leaving the field after his final innings vs Northants CCC

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  Cook in catching practice during the 2006–07 Ashes series tour

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  Cook and his fellow England teammates celebrate in the field as Chris Tremlett takes the winning wicket in the 2010–11 Ashes series.

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  Cook batting during the third Test during the 2013 Ashes in England. England won the series 3–0; it was Cook's first Ashes series as captain.

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  Cook batting for Essex in 2014

See also

In Spanish: Alastair Cook para niños