How Alastair Cook’s career compares to his peers on his 150th Test
Cook hit a half-century and an unbeaten century on his Test debut against India in 2006
Alastair Cook will become the first Englishman to play 150 Tests when he opens the batting in the third Ashes match in Perth.
Here, Press Association Sport looks at how the former captain stacks up among his country’s five most-capped players.
Since scoring 60 and 104 not out against India on debut in 2006, Cook has been an England mainstay at the top of the order. He has enjoyed most success against India, with over 2,000 runs including his career-best 294 at Edgbaston in 2011, and the West Indies with his highest average against any opposition, 57.96. His 59 Tests as captain are also a national record and his batting average as skipper improved slightly compared to his career record, up to 46.57.
Alec Stewart, 1990-2003
For a time in the late 1990s, Stewart was asked to do it all for England – captain, opening batsman and wicketkeeper. That workload, coupled with having to play in a weaker era for English cricket, saw his career statistics dip slightly below those of the country’s other most-capped players but his importance could never be under-estimated. He made a century in his 100th Test and retired as England’s most-capped player at the time.
James Anderson, 2003 to date
131 caps, 514 wickets at 27.34, 25x5wi, 3x10wm, best 7-42
The Lancashire paceman has long been the figurehead of England’s bowling attack and with a swinging ball, there are few better in the world. He recovered from an unsuccessful attempt to remould his action early in his international career to become the first Englishman, and only the sixth player overall, to reach 500 Test wickets. His career-best figures came against New Zealand in 2008 at Trent Bridge, where he has 60 Test wickets at under 19.
Graham Gooch, 1975-1995
Gooch’s triple-century against India at Lord’s in 1990 was the third-highest score by an England batsman, with the two above it on the list dating back to the 1930s. It was a mark of his assured presence as both opener and, from 1988 to 1993, captain. He is second to Cook on England’s all-time run-scoring list, having been a key mentor to his fellow Essex batsman following his retirement as a player.
Ian Bell, 2004-2015
The elegant Warwickshire batsman was long derided for style over substance – his early Test centuries came when others in the innings had already made three figures, while his average is 10 runs higher on home soil – but his longevity and run total answered his critics. His career-best score came against India at the Oval in 2011, while he averaged 58 against Sri Lanka and over 40 against every opponent other than Australia and New Zealand.
