Alastair Cook

629 English Test cricketers debuted before Sir Alastair Nathan Cook CBE, but no one before him and nobody past him has surpassed the 10000 Test run mark. Unarguably the best red-ball opener from the UK and a former captain of the England Test and ODIs, Cook also holds a number of English and international records. He is one of the most prolific batsmen of the modern era. And to brief all Cook’s achievements, the English former is the fifth-highest Test run-scorer of all time. 

Facing a Duke ball in England is regarded as one of the toughest things present in cricket and it becomes even tougher when you’re an opener - Cook mastered that and passed the challenge with 12472 Test runs. He started his international career with a Test century against India and ended his career with the same feat. However, a lot happened in between, including some major Ashes win, setting the world record for most Test caps in a succession, fastest man to 5000 Test runs, youngest to 7000 runs in Test, also his maiden and only Test wicket in Ishant Sharma, and the marathon knock of 294 runs at Birmingham. 

Born in Gloucester, Cook first represented England Under19s before making his Test debut in Nagpur, against India to make a 60 and 104*, in 2006. He then went on to score centuries in his first appearances against Pakistan, West Indies and Bangladesh and also became the second-youngest player to get to 5000 runs in Tests. Later in 2006, the opener made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka and clubbed his maiden ODI ton against India at Southampton in 2007. While his T20I debut began in 2007 and finished two years later with Cook tally at 4 T20I games. 

The Gloucester-born might didn’t flourish in white-ball cricket, but his Test career was always on top, except his lean patch of 2008. However, he recovered the very next season and rose rapidly up the ranks in world cricket. The Ashes of 2010-11, where he amassed 766 runs and the Indian Test tour of 2012-13, when Cook’s leadership led his team to their first series win in 28 years, apart from bagging three centuries on that tour. 

The red-ball giant was also England’s captain that lost the 2013 Champions Trophy, but two years later, he was omitted from the 2015 World Cup squad, ending his limited-overs career in December 2014. After that tragic omission, the English great decided to concentrate more on the longest format and took England and batting to some extreme highs. Cook, then, gave his captaincy throne to Joe Root in 2017, and as the joint second-most successful captain for England, with 24 wins from 59 Tests. A year later, Cook hung up his boots from international cricket and retired after the Oval Test against India in 2018, aged 33. 

After retirement, Sir Alastair Cook CBE became the first English cricketer to earn a Knighthood since Ian Botham in 2007. However, Cook still plays county cricket for Essex for his love for the sport and to rub his experience of 24000+ FC runs on his fellow Essex mates. 

(As of July 2021)