Alastair Cook snubs talks of his retirement during last Ashes

Cook is getting ready for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand from March 22.

Alastair Cook | GETTY

Former England cricketer Alastair Cook snubbed the talk of his retirement during England's dejected Ashes 2017-18 series defeat in Australia. Cook had scored a 244 in the only match Australia didn't win in the series. Other than that, he failed to get enough runs in the series as England suffered a 4-0 defeat.

There were talks of Cook hanging his boot after the Ashes. But the veteran wrote in a column for Sky Sports that he wasn't even close to quitting. "There has been a little bit in the papers over the last couple of days saying that I was close to quitting cricket during the Ashes - these things don't always come out right.

"I wasn't close to quitting, I was asked a question about how tough it was and it was a tough period of my career, I wasn't playing as well as I'd have liked.

"Naturally, those questions about finishing are going to be asked, they were asked and I give an honest answer - 'Yes, it was it tough and you do doubt yourself' - then the headline comes up that I was ready to quit. That isn't the case.

"During those times you've got to trust yourself a bit and draw a bit of confidence from the fact that over 150 Test matches - and without wanting to sound arrogant - I've done it a few times and scored runs at the highest level. Knowing that you have that record behind you is crucial and you have to try not to panic too much. Like most things, when you're playing badly, things often aren't as bad as you think and when you're playing well, you're probably not as good as everyone says you are."

England's greatest Test run-scorer (12,005) further wrote that he tries to keep himself calm and most importantly trusts his ability. "There is always that happy medium, I've always kept myself somewhere in the middle. I just try to stay calm, trust my ability and try to keep doing the right things. You can't search for the magic answer because there isn't one, it is a combination of a lot of things - stay true to yourself and trust yourself.

"Clearly when it is tough, you can doubt yourself a lot but it is putting those thoughts as far as you can to the back of your mind and concentrate on the important thing, which is the next ball coming down, and just trying to get in.

"That's batting, and at the top of the order against world-class players getting through the new ball can be quite hard work but I've done it in the past and hopefully I'll do it again in the future."

England will clash with New Zealand in a day-night Test at Eden Park on Thursday, and the England opener is hoping to replicate the form he showed against Australia in Melbourne.

 
 

By Sihyeu Singh - 21 Mar, 2018

    Share Via