Having played many Ashes encounters against him, former Australian Captain Michael Clarke has hailed Alastair Cook as a true gentleman of the game and has said that the veteran opener deserves high praise and credit for his contribution to English Cricket. 

Cook, having announced his retirement from the game, will play his last Test at The Oval against India after amassing 12,254 runs across 160 Tests with 32 centuries all over the world. 

"Alastair was a gentleman and a great ambassador for the game of cricket," Clarke told News Corp Australia, “I’ve always believed it’s not what you say, it’s what you do and he’s a great example of that. He wasn’t a big talker on or off the field but when he said something it was important, and that was the way he played."

“He was a fighter and he batted in what I believe is the toughest position in our game, opening the batting,” Clarke added, “He found a way to score runs in all conditions and that’s a sign of a great player, that he can adapt and find a way to be successful all around the world. He probably hasn’t received the credit he has deserved for being such a good player.”

One of Cook's greatest achievement was scoring 766 runs in England's first away Ashes victory in 24 years during 2010-11 Australian summer. He was simply outstanding on that tour and it remains his best period as a batsman, a period which culminated with him scoring three hundreds in India in their historic series win in 2012. 

(Inputs from Hindustan Times)