The day after the retirement before: The reaction to Cook's decision

HUW TURBERVILL: The news took most people by surprise, but by all accounts he had been talking increasingly about what he would be doing once he stopped playing for England

^{Alastair Cook is to retire from England duty}

It’s the morning after the international retirement of Alastair Cook, so how you are feeling?

The news took most people by surprise, but by all accounts he had been talking increasingly about what he would be doing once he stopped playing for England. Rather than retiring to full-time farming life, as many expected, he intends to stay active in the game, which is good news. Long term he surely has the makings of a fine batting coach, in the mould of his mentor, Graham Gooch.

I certainly expected him to play on until next summer’s Ashes… taking your leave at The Oval is the time-honoured route into retirement.

That is a lot of Tests to get through first, however – 12… this week’s at The Oval, three in Sri Lanka, three in West Indies, then five at home to Australia.

The form has most definitely been on the wain, from averaging 46.33 at the end of his 147th Test to 44.88 now, just ahead of his 161st. That may not sound drastic, but when you have played that many matches, your average doesn’t leap around a great deal…

^{Cook's decision took some by surprise} 

The announcement that he will continue for Essex came as a pleasant surprise. It is a big boost to his county and the county game.

The most surprising reaction came from David 'Bumble' Lloyd on Twitter. “A Cook has been a wonderful player for England .. a rock .. [but] he says “the tank is empty” … Can’t personally see why he plays at the Oval .. get the new chap in immediately.”

He was accused of a lack of sentimentality, but the more you think about it, Cook’s retention for The Oval is purely down to just that. There is no cricket reason why he should play, unless he bats in England’s problem position, No.3. It is a dead rubber now, and if he opens, he is denying a new man, who is looking ahead, an opportunity to stake a long-term claim, bed in, become acclimatised to the Test arena ahead of Sri Lanka.

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If England were to pick local hero Rory Burns at The Oval this would be an ideal opportunity for him. They could retain Keaton Jennings, who don’t forget made a hundred on debut in the subcontinent (India), and toured West Indies with the Lions last winter (albeit with modest success). Another man believed to be in the frame is Joe Denly (please let that be for his batting, and not his all-round skills!).

An idea in this office was for Cook to lead the sides out at The Oval, do a Henry Blofeld-style trip around the ground, but not play. All indications are he is playing, however.

Once the news broke, Twitter watchers turned to Cook’s baiters, Piers Morgan and Kevin Pietersen.

^{Adversaries and friends have reacted to Cook's retirement}

“Farewell Alastair Cook,” tweeted Morgan. “I'll be honest: I can't forgive him for wrecking @KP24's England career, he bored me to tears as a batsman, has barely scored an important Test run for years & it's weird he never sweats. But he gave his all for England & played many invaluable innings.”

If you cannot say anything nice, best not say anything at all?

Pietersen‏ took his time, rather like a Cook innings. “Big numbers! BIG BIG numbers but his biggest and best attribute was his mental strength when batting. Happy retirement, Allistair!”

Cook's career by numbers

Warmer… but the spelling of Cook’s forename – accidental or a subtle snub? Hmmm.

The reaction of Barney Ronay, columnist of The Guardian and The Cricketer, was also interesting. “Genuinely sad at the Cook news. Feels like the end of something wider. Is anyone ever going to have a career like his again? Will people notice if they do? Hope he goes on Gooch-style forever with Essex.”

And he’s right. It does feel like the end of an era. Jonathan Trott is also retiring from Warwickshire duty at the end of this summer, of course (prematurely I might be add – his county numbers are still good).

The passing of the old guard.

Marcus Trescothick still battles on. Ian Bell is now enjoying the Indian summer that we all hoped he was capable of.

But certainly that type of player is increasingly become redundant. The ones that ensure Tests sometimes go five days. And that is sad.