Cook signs off in top style
ENGLAND batsman Alastair Cook could not have penned the final chapter of his Test career any better, after signing off with a memorable 147 against India at The Oval.
Starting the day on 46 not out, the 33-year-old left-hander played with the kind of fluency that has been missing from his game this northern summer as he reached three figures for the 33rd time to help England declare on 8-423.
Already his country’s mostcapped Test player with 161 appearances, and most prolific run-getter and century compiler, his final flourish with the bat took him to fifth on the alltime Test runs list with 12,472.
Cook, whose measured batting has propped up England for 12 years, was given numerous standing ovations throughout an unforgettable day for him by the 19,000 fans who crammed into the ground to watch his farewell knock.
“You couldn’t have scripted it,” said Cook, whose pregnant wife and two children were in the stands.