Alastair Cook retires from professional cricket

Over the course of his 20-year career, the opener scored over 34,000 runs in 562 appearances, earning 257 caps for England and winning two County Championships with Essex

Alastair Cook has retired from cricket, believing the time is right to "make way for the new generation to take over".

The 38-year-old opening batter scored over 34,000 runs across 562 appearances after making his debut in May 2003.

A three-format international, he earned 257 caps for England between 2005 and 2018, including captaining the side in 59 of his 161 Test appearances.

With 12,472 runs at 45.35, he remains the fifth-highest run-scorer in Test history. He scored a further 3,204 runs at 36.40 in 92 ODIs.

^{Cook leaves the field after his final innings [Shaun Botterill/Getty Images]}

^{Cook won two County Championships, two one-day two trophies and the 2020 Bob Willis Trophy with Essex [Harry Trump/Getty Images]}

Following his international retirement in September 2018, he enjoyed five "bonus years" with Essex, scoring at least 800 County Championship runs in three of his final five seasons.

In total, he scored 11,337 runs at 45.16, with 31 centuries and 56 half-centuries, in 158 first-class appearances for Essex, winning the County Championship twice (2017, 2019), Division Two (2016) and the 2020 Bob Willis Trophy.

Against the white ball, he scored 2,931 runs at 46.52 in 74 List A appearances, winning one-day trophies in 2005 and 2008, and 809 runs at 35.17 in 26 T20s.

In his final season, he scored 836 runs as Essex finished second in Division One, bowing out quietly with two single-figure knocks against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

^{Cook retired from Test cricket in 2018, bowing out with a knock of 147 against India [Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images]}

^{Cook captained England in 59 of his 161 Tests [Gareth Copley/Getty Images]}

"It is not easy to say goodbye. For more than two decades, cricket has been so much more than my job. It has allowed me to experience places I never dreamed I would go, be part of teams that have achieved things I would never have thought possible and, most importantly, created deep friendships that will last a lifetime," he wrote.

"From the eight-year-old boy who first played for Wickham Bishops Under-11s to now, I end with a strange feeling of sadness mixed with pride. Although above all, I am incredibly happy. It is the right time for this part of my life to come to an end."

On ending his career with Essex, he continued: "I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Essex, the county I joined when I was aged 12. When I ended my international career, I had no idea that I would have five more bonus years of playing for Essex. I cannot put into words how much fun we have had during that time.

"I won't miss strapping on my pads and facing the new ball, but I will miss being in the Eagles changing room.

"Playing a full part in the season when Essex won the County Championship in 2019 is one of my favourite achievements in the game. I look forward to watching Essex continue to punch above their weight, hopefully winning many more trophies in the coming years."

👑 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗿𝗮.

Alastair Cook has today retired from all forms of professional cricket.#ThankYouChef pic.twitter.com/eE4MdZIAae

— Essex Cricket (@EssexCricket) October 13, 2023

Paying tribute, former England teammate Joe Root said Cook had been "incredible for the game" and expressed his gratitude for the lessons the opener passed down when they batted together.

"It's been a hell of a career. What [he] did for England, we all know how special that was - a memorable finish and a memorable start," Root told PA.

"You knew if he got past 20 balls you could wedge in and read the paper, do whatever you want to do and not worry about padding up. The partnerships we put on together, the stands we shared... we never had much formula out in the middle in terms of any good chat or anything, but he was always great to bat with and to learn from.

"As a young lad coming into that team, to have his experience to learn from, you can't buy that. They are things that aid you as a young player and speed up your development. I'm very grateful for what he gave me and other young lads in my position. He's been incredible for the game."