- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 217,977
Alastair Cook singled out the fallout from Kevin Pietersen's sacking as the standout regret of his time with England.
The opener will call time on his record-breaking Test career following the final game of this summer's series with India at The Oval.
Cook held a press conference on Wednesday, where he admitted the saga around Pietersen's departure following the disastrous 2013-14 Ashes whitewash could have been handled differently.
'The KP affair was a tough year, no doubt about that,' he said.
'The fallout wasn't great for English cricket, it wasn't great for me. I was involved in that decision without making the final decision. It could have been handled differently, and I have regret over it because it wasn't good for English cricket.'
Cook said he was glad he stuck with the captaincy after the low point of 2014, when England lost a Test series at home to Sri Lanka, then found themselves 1-0 down to India after two Tests.
But he hung on, leading England to a 3-1 win over the Indians, then regaining the Ashes the following summer.
'When it was real tough, I didn't throw the towel in,' he said. 'I still believed I was the best man for the job. I could have taken the easy option, but the team got the reward with the Ashes in 2015, which was brilliant.'
Alastair Cook will continue playing for Essex after the club announced the left-hander had signed a new three-year deal.
Head coach Anthony McGrath said on Essex's official website: 'It's great news that Cooky has committed his future to the club.
'He's one of the best batsmen in the world and he's so important for us both on and off the pitch. He's a great person to have around the club and is a great role model for the young players coming through.
'He also has the ability to change a game with his batting and that's something everyone wants in their team.'
Cook, who will embark on his 161st and final Test on Friday, said he had been considering his future for the last six months, and admitted: 'The edge had gone.'
Cook told England captain Joe Root of his decision to retire during last week's fourth Test against India at Southampton, then told coach Trevor Bayliss during the match itself. And he admitted he'd have kept quiet about the news had India won at the Ageas Bowl and taken the series to 2-2.
'It's been a bit surreal,' said Cook. 'One of my friends rang me to see if I was still alive because everyone has been talking as if I had died.
'It's nice to hear so many nice words said about you. I hadn't seen much of it until last night, when I allowed myself a look. It means a lot. For example, I was driving in to here and someone stopped me and made me wind down the window to say thank you to me, and that was lovely.'
Asked how he reached his decision, he said: 'It's hard to put into words. Over the last six months, there were signs in my mind this was going to happen. For me, I've always had that mental edge. I've been mentally incredibly tough.
'That edge had gone. That stuff I found easy before wasn't quite there. To me, that was the biggest thing.'
Cook broke the news of his retirement to the rest of his team-mates on Sunday evening at the Ageas Bowl after England had sealed the series 3-1 with a game to play.
'I was a couple of beers in, which I needed to be, otherwise I'd have cried more than I did,' he said. 'I just said it might be sad for some, happy for others, but it's time, I've done my bit. If picked, my next game will be my last game. There was a bit of silence for a bit, then Mo (Moeen Ali) said something, and we all laughed.'
Cook, whose wife Alice is about to give birth to their third child, said he considered taking a break from Test cricket, sitting out the winter tours of Sri Lanka and the West Indies before returning next summer.
But he decided against that option because he said he had never felt burned out – partly because he has played no white-ball cricket for England since being sacked as one-day captain ahead of the 2015 World Cup.
When asked about his personal highlights, he said: 'I can't really look too far past two away series, in Australia and India, when I was man of the series. That was the best I could play.
'I can look back at my career as a whole and say I became the best player I could become. That means a lot to me. I've never been the most talented player, but I think I got everything out of my ability.'
But before he goes, there is one final Test to win, one last chance to add a substantial score to his England-record tally of 12,254 runs. 'If I could play a really good innings, that would be fantastic. And it would be great for England to win 4-1. It sounds better than 3-2.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cr...-handling-Pietersens-saga-biggest-regret.html
The opener will call time on his record-breaking Test career following the final game of this summer's series with India at The Oval.
Cook held a press conference on Wednesday, where he admitted the saga around Pietersen's departure following the disastrous 2013-14 Ashes whitewash could have been handled differently.
'The KP affair was a tough year, no doubt about that,' he said.
'The fallout wasn't great for English cricket, it wasn't great for me. I was involved in that decision without making the final decision. It could have been handled differently, and I have regret over it because it wasn't good for English cricket.'
Cook said he was glad he stuck with the captaincy after the low point of 2014, when England lost a Test series at home to Sri Lanka, then found themselves 1-0 down to India after two Tests.
But he hung on, leading England to a 3-1 win over the Indians, then regaining the Ashes the following summer.
'When it was real tough, I didn't throw the towel in,' he said. 'I still believed I was the best man for the job. I could have taken the easy option, but the team got the reward with the Ashes in 2015, which was brilliant.'
Alastair Cook will continue playing for Essex after the club announced the left-hander had signed a new three-year deal.
Head coach Anthony McGrath said on Essex's official website: 'It's great news that Cooky has committed his future to the club.
'He's one of the best batsmen in the world and he's so important for us both on and off the pitch. He's a great person to have around the club and is a great role model for the young players coming through.
'He also has the ability to change a game with his batting and that's something everyone wants in their team.'
Cook, who will embark on his 161st and final Test on Friday, said he had been considering his future for the last six months, and admitted: 'The edge had gone.'
Cook told England captain Joe Root of his decision to retire during last week's fourth Test against India at Southampton, then told coach Trevor Bayliss during the match itself. And he admitted he'd have kept quiet about the news had India won at the Ageas Bowl and taken the series to 2-2.
'It's been a bit surreal,' said Cook. 'One of my friends rang me to see if I was still alive because everyone has been talking as if I had died.
'It's nice to hear so many nice words said about you. I hadn't seen much of it until last night, when I allowed myself a look. It means a lot. For example, I was driving in to here and someone stopped me and made me wind down the window to say thank you to me, and that was lovely.'
Asked how he reached his decision, he said: 'It's hard to put into words. Over the last six months, there were signs in my mind this was going to happen. For me, I've always had that mental edge. I've been mentally incredibly tough.
'That edge had gone. That stuff I found easy before wasn't quite there. To me, that was the biggest thing.'
Cook broke the news of his retirement to the rest of his team-mates on Sunday evening at the Ageas Bowl after England had sealed the series 3-1 with a game to play.
'I was a couple of beers in, which I needed to be, otherwise I'd have cried more than I did,' he said. 'I just said it might be sad for some, happy for others, but it's time, I've done my bit. If picked, my next game will be my last game. There was a bit of silence for a bit, then Mo (Moeen Ali) said something, and we all laughed.'
Cook, whose wife Alice is about to give birth to their third child, said he considered taking a break from Test cricket, sitting out the winter tours of Sri Lanka and the West Indies before returning next summer.
But he decided against that option because he said he had never felt burned out – partly because he has played no white-ball cricket for England since being sacked as one-day captain ahead of the 2015 World Cup.
When asked about his personal highlights, he said: 'I can't really look too far past two away series, in Australia and India, when I was man of the series. That was the best I could play.
'I can look back at my career as a whole and say I became the best player I could become. That means a lot to me. I've never been the most talented player, but I think I got everything out of my ability.'
But before he goes, there is one final Test to win, one last chance to add a substantial score to his England-record tally of 12,254 runs. 'If I could play a really good innings, that would be fantastic. And it would be great for England to win 4-1. It sounds better than 3-2.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cr...-handling-Pietersens-saga-biggest-regret.html
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