It might be a stretch to see Alastair Cook as the Billy Bonds of cricket, although the England and now exclusively Essex hero shares with the long-ago West Ham favourite the old-fashioned virtues of loyalty and commitment. Cook has never played his serious cricket anywhere but for Essex and England – and, no, he does not envisage an international comeback.
“I’ve played my last game for England,” he said on Tuesday. He looked as if he meant it.
When Cook stepped away from England duty after 161 Test matches with a century at the Oval last summer – finishing as had begun, a dozen years earlier – he turned again to Chelmsford, where he announced his arrival so spectacularly 14 years ago with a double-hundred against a weakened Australian touring side on a pitch as much like marble as turf. He rode his luck, alongside his old friend Ravi Bopara. Both are still here, seeing out the autumn days of their careers, awaiting the start of the county season on Friday.
At the same venue under a gloomy sky on Tuesday, Cook, a youthful 34, was as buoyant as he was on that sunny day in 2005. But he has done all his looking back. For the next three seasons, he wants to give something back to Essex.
Last week against the Cambridge MCC University side, he knocked out 150 – his first century as a knight of the realm – to set speculation rolling that he might be on the bench for England this Ashes summer. He allows himself the half-laugh of someone who has heard the same suggestion many times.
“I was asked a very interesting question on a panel show, with, like, 18 different circumstances, and I said: ‘You can never say never,’ but, look, I’ve played my last game for England. Of course there’s always that one thing – an absolute emergency – but I’m nowhere near that mindset.
“I’ve had 12 amazing years playing for England. It’s time for the next generation of top-order players to try to make their mark. I look forward to watching it, hopefully being involved in whatever capacity at certain stages down the line, whether it’s commentating, being involved in coaching, wherever my life might lead me.
“In one way, it’s sad that it’s never going to happen again, but I’ve had my time. I’ve had an amazing journey. But, towards the end, I wasn’t the player I was. Things had to move on.”
Nevertheless, the merest twinges of nostalgia have invaded Cook’s thoughts over the winter.
“Over the last few months there have been times … like when England won in Sri Lanka, you know the experience the guys would have had out there. When you win, it’s the reward you get for a lot of hard work in tough conditions. I certainly miss that day, and there have been a few other periods. It’s natural when it’s been such a big part of your life for a long time. But life moves on, doesn’t it?
“I went to the Caribbean with the BBC, starting the transition period out of the England team, the first time I’ve seen England play a Test match without being involved. It’s been remarkably smooth.
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“It’s been good experience to be at home for a long period of time. I’ve enjoyed spending time with the kids and I’m looking forward to the summer.”
Normally that would have meant preparing for the rigours of fending off bowlers such as Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, when the Ashes begin in August. Instead, Cook will be moving around the counties with reduced expectations, and no pressure.
Only four people in the history of cricket – Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid – have scored more Test runs than Cook, none of them an Englishman. Reggie Duff, Bill Ponsford, Greg Chappell and Mohammad Azharuddin were the only other players to start and end their international careers with centuries; none was born on Christmas Day and none played for Essex. He’s been blessed in many ways.
