Alastair Cook’s up-and-down England career makes his record-breaking feat all the more special, says Nasser Hussain.
Cook became his country’s highest-ever run-scorer in Test cricket when he overtook Graham Gooch’s tally of 8,900 runs in 118 Tests shortly after lunch on day two of the second Test against New Zealand before falling for 75.
The left-hander, first coached by ex-England captain Gooch as a schoolboy, eclipsed his mentor when he drove Tim Southee behind square for four.
It sparked a lengthy standing ovation from the Headingley crowd which Hussain said spoke volumes for how far Cook has come since May 2013, the start of a downturn in form that saw him go almost two years without an international century.
“It’s amazing how quickly things can change,” reflected Hussain. “It was only six months ago that everybody was saying that Cook was out of nick, that he can’t buy a run.
“He was struggling. The reaction to the last hundred that he got in the Test match at Lord’s was not one of relief but one of ‘I am now batting how Alastair Cook should bat’.
“He is back to somewhere near his best if not at his best. It was a great moment when he overtook Graham Gooch.
“The crowd rose to him – they really did. They appreciated a man who has given a lot for his country. Cook is someone who has been through the ups and downs of it.
“It was a very special moment for Alastair, going past his mentor and hero as Mike Atherton said on commentary. I think Graham will be quietly sitting somewhere pleased that Alastair has done it.”
Cook made his Test debut at the age of 21 on England’s Test tour of India and instantly made an impact at Nagpur, where he scored a fifty and hundred on debut.
He produced some of his best form on England’s 2010-11 Ashes tour when he scored 766 runs in seven innings, including an unbeaten 235 at Brisbane.
Hussain, analysing Cook’s technique, said all the signs are that the England captain has been a model of consistency over his career.
“There’s not much difference to how he batted in 2006,” he reflected. “There’s a slightly different back-lift – there are slightly earlier moments now than there were back then.
“He used to shovel it a little bit with his bottom hand when he first came into the side. Immediately he was a good player of spin.
“In the old days he used to use his feet to the spinner. To turn up like he did and score a hundred in Nagpur in his first Test, told you he was a pretty good player of spin.
“One that is noticeable is that his body shape has changed – he’s worked very hard in the gym. He’s become much stronger. He was at his peak in the 2010-11 Ashes – this is somewhere where he is getting back towards.
“He’s always at his best when he bends his front knee into the drive because his balance and his timing is spot on. He’s only 30 years old and he’s got a lot of cricket left.”
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