Alastair Cook: “It was probably one of the most emotional [innings]”
England opener Alastair Cook has admitted that he was worried about his run of poor form with the bat, but insisted that he never thought about retiring.
Cook silenced his critics on the third day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne as he scored an unbeaten 244.
While he went into the fourth day unbeaten on that score, he was unable to add to it as James Anderson was dismissed by Pat Cummins for a duck, which led to England being bowled out for 491.
Nevertheless, the 33-year-old conceded that he became “emotional” upon scoring his double century, especially after pundits and the cricketing community began to question whether he should be in the England side and whether he had the drive and ambition to keep playing Test cricket.
“100 per cent. I have doubted myself for 12 years and will probably continue to doubt myself,” Cook said when asked if he doubted himself. “I always feel as though I have the backing of the selectors but you still have to deliver the goods and I hadn’t done that on this tour.
“[The selectors] would have been entitled [to drop me] just because I literally hadn’t scored a run since Edgbaston. I have never thought [about my career drawing to a close], I’ve always thought about fighting hard and trying to put in a performance.
“The longer it goes the harder it becomes. That’s why I am proud I have been able to go to the well again and put in a performance like that. It was probably one of the most emotional [innings] last night from where I had been on this tour. It meant a lot.
“I was then proud that I could back it up and get a real big one for the team. It’s just a shame that it’s three and a half, four weeks too late and I will have to live with that for a long time.”
Australia head coach Darren Lehmann also lauded Cook, who moved up to sixth place on the list of the highest run-scorers in Test history. With his knock, Cook surpassed Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene, and the West Indian duo of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Brian Lara.
“Cook was simply brilliant,” Lehmann said. “He batted a very long time and was more aggressive than he was in the other Tests.
“He played brilliantly and showed some of the younger guys how sometimes you’ve just got to tough it out.”