One of the main reason of England poor show in the ongoing Ashes was the struggle of Alastair Cook is a batsman. With just 83 runs in the series in previous 6 innings he was in tremendous pressure. However, Cook came on to bat on the second day of the fourth Test in Melbourne, with a lot to prove. The left-hand batsman silenced his critics by slamming a hundred on Wednesday, and then added the punishment on Australian bowlers by reaching his 5th double hundred. However he was not happy with the milestone and said he regrets that his form came a little too late.
“I’ve doubted myself for 12 years and I’ll probably continue to doubt myself but obviously the longer it goes the harder it becomes. But I suppose that’s why I can be quite proud… Going to the well again and delivering a performance like that was pleasing. It’s just a shame it’s three-four weeks too late, I’ll have to live with that for a long time but it’s nice to score a few,” Cook said.
“After all the emotion came out yesterday to get a real big one for the team was really important,” he said.
During the course of his innings, comprising of 409 balls and 27 boundaries, Cook (11,956) surpassed Brian Lara’s 11,953 to become the 6th highest all-time runs scorer in Test cricket. On being questioned about the statistics, Cook laughed and said,
“I can’t really explain that. I just feel sorry for Brian Lara. It’s a special moment to see your name up there.”
