2) Alastair Cook joined the Essex Academy at age 15, and made his first-class debut right after he finished school, at the end of the 2003 season
3) In his early years, Cook was a promising musician. Telegraph reported that his parents had gifted him a clarinet when Cook was only eight years old and he was a student at the St Paul’s Cathedral, London, where Cook honed his skills. Even when he moved to Bedford, it was his music that helped him get through. Cricket became his focus. After his England debut, he did play the saxophone for a program called Freefonix
4) Before his cricketing days, Cook has the distinction of singing with the famous New Zealand singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, who is known for her opera music
5) Music took Alastair Cook to Brazil and the Netherlands as a young boy on his first tour abroad
6) When Cook was 14 years old, he turned up for Marylebone Cricket Club in a game against Bedford and smashes a ton. Marylebone Cricket Club did not have one player and young Cook was given the responsibility
7) Former England player, Derek Randall played a huge role in the development of Cook as a player. Randall was at Bedford school and mentored the precocious Cook into the player he is peaking to Guardian, Randall said, “I helped Alastair as a young boy, but Alastair gave me more pleasure at this school than I gave him help, if I’m honest. Cook is really moved on since he was here. It’s just fantastic
8) In 2000, Alastair Cook represented England Under-15s in the Under-15s World Challenge. Tim Bresnan and Samit Patel were also a part of the side
9) As a teenager, Cook averaged 168 in his final season for club side Maldon CC in Essex
10) Alastair Cook was just 18 when Cook made his first-class debut for Essex and he made an unbeaten 69 in the second innings, batting in partnership with former England coach Andy Flower.
11) Cook then went on to become a regular for the England Under-19s, leading them during the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2004 in Bangladesh. Cook hit two centuries on the tour where England reached the semi-finals
12) Alastair Cook is an occasional bowler and it was only in 2014 that Cook took his maiden international wicket. At the under-19 level, he was a more regular bowler. In an under-19 Test against South Africa in 2003, Cook dismissed future competitors AB de Villiers and JP Duminy. While Duminy was dismissed for 116, de Villiers was out for 99
13) Not many would associate Cook with getting a T20 hundred given his recent struggles in one-day cricket. However, in 2009, Cook scored a T20 ton against Surrey. His unbeaten 100 came off only 57 balls with 11 fours and four sixes. Cook shared an opening stand of 169 with Mark Pettini, who scored 87
14) At the age of 19, in 2005, Alastair Cook made a double century against a touring Australia side whose bowling attack was led by Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie
15) There are two other famous namesakes for Alastair Cook although the spelling for both differs. Alistair Cooke was a British journalist known for the former weekly radio series Letter from America, while Alistair Cooke, Baron Lexden, is a British historian and a member of the House of Lords
16) On his debut against India at Nagpur in 2006, Cook made 60 in the first innings and 104 in the second innings to become the only the fifth England player to score a century and a fifty on his Test debut
17) During the second Test against New Zealand at Headingley on Saturday, England captain Cook, 30, overtook Graham Gooch’s tally of 8,900 runs to become his country’s most prolific batsman in Test cricket. Cook has scored more centuries, 27, than any other England player. Kevin Pietersen is next on 23
18) Alastair Cook married his childhood sweetheart, Alice Hunt, in December of 2011. He has a daughter named Elsie
19) England’s 2010-11 tour of Australia will forever be known as ‘Cook’s Ashes.’ The opener scored 766 runs at a mind-blowing average of 127.66, spending record 36 hours and 11 minutes at the crease to win England its first series in Australia in 24 years
20) Alastair Cook was the quickest Englishman to 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000 Test runs at the age of 26, Cook became the fastest Englishman and the second fastest overall to reach 5,000 Test runs. The only person he stands behind is Sachin Tendulkar. Cook is also the fastest to reach 8,000 Test runs
21) Alastair Cook was awarded an OBE in 2011. Cook was also named among Wisden’s five Cricketers of the Year in 2012
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