English dressing room ecstatically celebrates Alastair Cook’s last Test hundred

It is an enormous occasion. Their highest run-getter of all-time is retiring from Test cricket. Alastair Cook, The Chef of the English team is playing his last Test match, the 161st of his career. What made it grander was the fact that he was playing against the same opposition he made his debut back in 2006. Cook recreated the occasion by scoring a fifty and a hundred in the two innings like he had in the first match.

He made it a fairy-tale ending as he converted the half century in the second innings into a hundred, the 33rd of his colossus career. Cook was batting on 96 and as he ran through a single the Indians allowed an over-throw boundary. In a pretty similar fashion, he had got to a hundred against Pakistan with an overthrow at the same venue in 2010.

As he raised his bat and removed his helmet the packed crowd at The Oval stood up in applause. Everyone present was on their feet applauding their greatest ever batsman’s amazing feat in his last inning. The scene in the English dressing room was of sheer joy. The likes of James Anderson, Ben Stokes and everyone else were already standing there in anticipation.

The ball raced to the boundary and they couldn’t control themselves, Jonny Bairstow was leaning out of the window cheering, Stokes banged the window pane in celebration and they were all at the highest spirit to watch a true gentleman achieve a magnificent feat.

Cook before this Test match had 12254 career runs and was already the best the country had seen. On his way to the hundred he also became the highest run-scorer among left-handers in Test cricket.

The Oval crowd kept applauding for almost two minutes as even the broadcasters and commentators couldn’t stop themselves. Skipper Joe Root at the other end was celebrating as if he’d got to his own hundred, which he eventually did later in the innings.

Cook will now retire a happy man, having given the team his best till the last knock as it has certainly ensured England cannot lose this Test match hereon.

Here are the scenes from the English dressing room:

LOOK WHAT IT MEANS TO THEM! 🙌💯👨‍🍳

Scorecard/Clips: https://t.co/lhJg8BsQZh#ThankYouChef #EngvInd pic.twitter.com/bQusQnTq7Z

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 10, 2018

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