Alastair Cook scored his 33rd Test century on Monday in his farewell international match at the Oval, bringing the curtain down on a record-breaking England career in style.
Cook, who scored 71 in the first innings, reached his century off 210 balls, with eight boundaries.
It was a fairytale finish. The Oval crowd was on its feet and applauded for two whole minutes. Joe Root hugged him in delight and a visibly emotional Cook puffed his cheeks before getting on the task at hand.
“It’s been an outstanding career - 12 years at the top of the order - to have a record like that is some feat, especially in these conditions for the majority of it. There are not many openers around the world who can match that, never mind English players. So he’s going to be very hard to replace,” captain Joe Root had said.
Here are some stats from Cook’s special achievement:
The tributes poured in for the man affectionately called ‘The Chef’
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