Cricket
I Can Walk Away With My Head Held High And I Have Always Wanted To Do That
For the one last time, England's fans were seeing their beloved son and one of the greats of the game, Alastair Cook. All the memories were floating in front of their eyes and it should be as after giving so many reasons to cheer, Cook was saying goodbye to International cricket which he lived almost 12 years.## There was always talking about breaking the record of the great Sachin Tendulkar's most runs in Test cricket and without any doubt, Cook was the only cricketer among the current players who could break Sachin's record. The 33-year old had time by his side but he hanged his boots before reaching the milestone. Nevertheless, he still finished his career on high with a century in his last Test innings that turned out to be in fairy-tale.## England's fans were hoping that their greatest batsman will perform well one last time and he did not disappoint them by scoring a half-century and a century in his last match. There is always ups and downs comes in every cricketer's career, Cook also had faced them but he never been out of touch for a long time. Till the last match, he showed same determination, extraordinary patience and skill which he was known for throughout his career.## Even in the presentation ceremony looked had the same determination, self-belief on his face. He never showed that he had been playing his last Test innings for England.## "It has been the most amazing week. One you couldn't be able to script. Got a text from Beefy (Ian Botham) and he said 'Can I have your scriptwriter?' It is great to be contributing to a series win. The game going into the last session with all the three results possible was a great advert for Test cricket. The memories shared with my team is what I'll miss the most. Some very good moments. Today it showed how tough Test cricket can be. I leave with great memories. I have been very privileged to have worn the cap for as long as I have," Cook said.## Cook had played the most part of his career with James Anderson who went past the great Glenn McGrath to become the leading wicket-takers among the pacers. Both had created so many great memories together and when he was asked about Jimmy went past McGrath he said,## "To see Jimmy go past Glenn McGrath was brilliant. He and Broady are the ones that I have played most cricket with. To make the decision that I won't be standing at slips and dropping catches off their bowling has been tough (chuckles). Just has been a privilege to have played with England's greatest cricketer (Anderson). No disrespect to any other cricketer. He (Anderson) almost takes it for granted that he will hit the length from ball one. It is fitting that he got the last wicket, to knock out the middle-stump and win the series for us. The pressure that you go through, I won't miss that. You miss all the highs. I would miss playing for this team".## Although Cook had already taken his decision of retiring from international cricket and denied when he was asked if there was any chance he could make a comeback. "Not a chance, this week can't be beaten. I can walk away with my head held high and I have always wanted to do that".## Cook had a stellar career which saw him score 12,474 runs (Most by any English player) in 161 matches with an average of 45.35. Apart from runs, he is also England's leading century getter (33 Centuries). Though, Cook never had had a second thought about his batting style and his technic. He played with the same determination and patience throughout his career.## After watching him play for such long period (12 years) one can say that well-played chef. It's been a privilege to watching you from other side.## For more updates and news about Cricket, stay tuned to us.## Thanks for the reading.
