It’s the right time: Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook announces retirement

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Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook has brought the curtain down on his record-breaking cricket career, saying: “It is the right time for this part of my life to come to an end.”

The left-handed opener’s 12,472 Test runs are the most by any English batter, placing him fifth in the all-time list, but after retiring from international duty in 2018, he carried on playing for Essex.

His contract at the county expired at the end of the domestic season last month and the 38-year-old, part of Essex’s County Championship-winning side in 2019, has elected against seeking a renewal.

“It is not easy to say goodbye,” Cook said in a statement. “For more than two decades, cricket has been so much more than my job. It is the right time for this part of my life to come to an end.

“I have always given absolutely everything I possibly have to be the best player I could be, but now I want to make way for the new generation to take over.”