Legend is often an overused term in sport, but very few could argue that word isn’t suitable for Sir Alastair Cook, after a stellar cricket career at the highest level.

At the age of 38, the batter has still been performing in County Cricket but he has decided to call it a day at the end of this season.

There will be hours and hours of highlights for the opener to look back on, both in domestic and international cricket, and he goes down in English history as one of the greats.

His England career spanned over 12 years, captaining his country at Test level and scoring an incredible five double-centuries in the five-day game.

Cook in Numbers - Four

Four is the number of Ashes series wins that Cook achieved, with victories in 2009, 2010-11, 2013 and 2015.

That run of success includes captaining an England team to success in Australia, with a 3-1 success Down Under in 2010-11.

Cook scored more Test runs against the Baggy Greens, who are 4/6 to win the 2025-26 series, than any other nation, racking up 2493 in 64 innings – including an unbeaten 244 in Melbourne.

Cook in Numbers - 294

His biggest Test score came at Edgbaston in August 2011, when England beat India in the third Test by an innings and 242 runs.

Cook smashed a memorable 294 off 545 balls as England made 710/2 declared in the first innings, which included a 186-run opening partnership with Andrew Strauss.

The left-hander smashed 33 fours as he took the game to the Indian bowlers, before eventually being caught by Suresh Raina off the bowling of Ishant Sharma after spending 773 glorious minutes at the crease.

Cook in Numbers - 12,472

The former England captain racked up an incredible 12,472 runs in his international Test career, with an average of 45.35.

That number sees the Essex star top the list of England’s all-time top run scorer, currently 1,307 runs ahead of second-placed Joe Root.

Cook, who skippered the Test team for six years, made 33 centuries and 57 half-centuries in 291 innings in the five-day game.

Cook in Numbers - 92

Sir Alastair played 92 one-day internationals during his England career, averaging 36.40 in the 50-over format.

Cook made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford in June 2006, with his last one-day international coming against the same opposition in Colombo in December 2014.

The opener scored five ODI centuries and 19 half-centuries, with his biggest score coming in Dubai against Pakistan, 13/2 to win the 2023 World Cup, when he smashed 137 off 142 deliveries.

Cook in Numbers – 12,000

Alistair Cook was the youngest player from any country to reach 12,000 Test runs, reaching the milestone at the age of 33 years and 13 days.

The left-handed opener also became the youngest Englishman to score 5,000 runs and had scored four Test centuries before his 22nd birthday.

Cooks holds the record for the most centuries for his country, as well as being the first England cricketer to be involved in 50 Test wins.

Cook in Numbers - 161

Cook is England’s most capped Test batsman, with 161 matches in the five-day format, only bowling duo James Anderson and Stuart Broad are ahead of him.

The batter also holds the record for the most consecutive Test matches played (159), beating the total set by former Australian captain Allan Border.

Cook in Numbers - 104

Making his first England Test appearance at 22, Cook became the 16th player to score a century on his debut back in 2006.

The opener hit an unbeaten 104 against India in Nagpur, having already made 60 in the first innings of the drawn Test.