Alastair Cook by numbers: How the England batsman be remembered

Cook currently sits in sixth on the list of all-time Test run-scorers, just ahead of the great Brian Lara and only 146 behind Kumar Sangakkara and a place in the top five, something he will be desperate to achieve in his final game in London.

It is poignant that Cook's career will finish his career at The Oval given his 110 against Pakistan on that ground in 2010 was a career-saving innings that secured his place on the subsequent Ashes tour following a poor run of form.

The subsequent Down Under would prove to be one of the highlights of Cook's glittering career as the Essex opener was named man of the series having powered England's 2-1 victory with a staggering 766 runs at an average of 127.66.

That series demonstrated Cook's brilliance against pace and bounce, especially on the fast, hard Australian wickets, but Cook was also an excellent player of spin who mastered Indian conditions in a way very few visiting batsmen have been able to do.

Cook made 1,235 Test runs on those shores from 13 matches at 51.45, with five hundreds, and the 2-1 series win his England side enjoyed in India in 2012 must rank closely with the Ashes victory in Australia in 2010/2011.

Having taken over the captaincy from the recently-retired Andrew Strauss, Cook had already played a significant role in reintroducing Kevin Pietersen back into the England set-up following his much publicised "text-gate" and his impressive leadership and relentless batting would inspire his side to one of the greatest modern achievements in England cricket history.

Having lost the first Test heavily in Ahmedabad, England roared back to win the series in handsome fashion with Cook's batting the driving force as he amassed 562 runs at 80.26, with three hundreds from only four matches.

By the end of the series India were clueless at how to bowl to the left-hander, with captain MS Dhoni forced to set ultra-defensive fields with a number of sweepers employed early in Cook's innings as the Essex man swept, tucked and cut the spinners with consummate ease.

Cook's hunger and desire to continue to churn out big runs shone through in that series, as it had done in Australia previously, and his incredible levels of fitness were something he maintained right through his career and even in his final summer when reports from the England camp were that he was still one of the fittest members of a young playing squad.

A testament to Cook's fitness and injury record is that he will end his career with 161 Test caps, the first of which came when making his debut against India in Nagpur back 2006. Cook will also play his 158th Test in a row at The Oval, a record that no other Test cricketer has ever achieved.

That debut in Nagpur was marked with a fine hundred in the second innings and he has now made 32 Test centuries - the most by any Englishman - to sit alongside five double-hundreds.

As those numbers suggest, Cook has been a heavy scorer once getting set and made his career-best score of 294 at Edgbaston in 2011 - against India once more - and despite his more recent struggles, he made a double-hundred (243) last summer before scoring 244 not out against Australia in Melbourne's Boxing Day Test.

While leading from the front with the bat, Cook enjoyed some fine moments since taking over the captaincy in August 2012 and holds the English record for Test matches captained with 59.

As well as leading England to the aforementioned famous victory in India, Cook also oversaw two Ashes victories to go alongside two other Ashes wins.

Cook was also at the helm when England's ODI side made the final of the Champions Trophy and he ends his international career with 92 ODI caps to his name and four T20I appearances.

Despite being largely unheralded as an ODI batsman, Cook scored 3,204 runs in that form of the game at an average of 36.40, with five hundreds. Between 2009 and 2012, Cook enjoyed a golden period with the bat in ODIs, making four centuries - including a career-best 137 against Pakistan - at 47.30.

A fine first-slip fielder, Cook took 36 catches in ODIs and has so far taken 173 catches in Test matches while his grab to dismiss the well-set Virat Kohli in the second innings of the recently concluded fourth Test was match defining.

"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." - Alastair Cook

Cook's Test match batting average currently sits at 44.88, a marked dip on where he was after the victory 2012 series win in India and some way below 50, the general benchmark for a modern 'great' batsman.

Sure enough, of all the players in the top 10 all-time leading Test runscorers, Cook's average is easily the lowest. However, Cook is also the only opening batsman in that list and the only Englishman, a quirk of fate that has ensured he has spent half of his Test career opening the batting against the swing-friendly Dukes ball and in conditions that are generally considered to be tougher for batting than those found abroad.

Despite this, Cook's record away from home - 5,904 runs at 46.48 - is only marginally better than his record at home - 6,350 runs at 43.49 - and suggests that the apparent burden of playing a large bulk of his cricket on traditional English pitched has only had a small detrimental effect on his overall numbers.

So, Alastair Cook, 'great' Test batsman or not?

It is possible to make a case either way, with an average some way below 50 suggesting not but 12,254 Test runs and a finishing position in the top five of all-time Test runscorers not out of the question and certainly meriting a place amongst the so-called greats of the game.

What isn't up for debate is that Cook is a truly great opening batsman. Of this generation, only Matthew Hayden and Graeme Smith can lay claim to a similar standing as fellow openers, and Cook has left them both behind in terms of runs and longevity.

For fans at home, there is no debate. Cook is firmly established as the country's leading Test match runscorer and more importantly, he has been a cornerstone of the international side through what has been one of the most successful periods in the history of English cricket.

A team man through and through, one who always led from the front, that is surely how he will want to be remembered.

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