Former England Test skipper, Alastair Cook has finally announced his retirement from professional cricket altogether.
Although he had already retired from international cricket in 2018, he was still playing first-class cricket for his county side, Essex.
However, during the final stages of the LVInsurance County Championship, Cook finally decided to bid goodbye to his county side as well.
Meanwhile, Essex has shared Cook’s heartfelt speech on their website in which he thanked everyone for making him the cricketer that he is today.
Today I am announcing my retirement and the end of my career as a professional cricketer.
Adding further, he says,
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, create deep friendships that will last a lifetime.
Furthermore, Cook also talked about his journey as an 8-year-old who joined Wickham Bishops Under 11s, and from there, his career transformed for the better.
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. Above all, I am incredibly happy.
Cook has amassed a lot of runs in first-class and international cricket
While Cook has left the England side since 2018, he was a regular contributor to Essex in county games.
He played a pretty pivotal role for his side who went on to win the Division One title in 2019 and then the Bob Willis Trophy in 2020.
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Essex, the county I joined when I was aged 12. I want to say a massive thank you to everyone at Chelmsford for everything you have given to me. All of the fans, members and staff have always been so supportive, patient and generous.
Talking about Cook’s career, he has amassed more than 26,000 runs in first-class cricket, 11,337 of them being scored for Essex.
Meanwhile, in limited-overs cricket, he has 7,500 runs which proves that he was capable there too.
During his playing days, he also worked in the media industry, becoming a summariser for the BBC.
Follow Crickdom on Twitter for more.
For more cricket updates, make sure to follow us on:
