On this day in 2016: Alastair Cook scores his 10,000th Test run
30th May 2016 is a very special date for England as well as a cricketer named Alastair Cook. For, it was on this date that the England cricketing legend achieved a feat that has not been surpassed or replicated by any other England batsman to date.
In the Test match between England and Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street, Cook became the first and only England batsman to breach the 10000-run mark in Test cricket. And, he also became the youngest batsman in the history of Test match cricket to achieve this milestone.
The monumental game
Let us go a little deeper into what happened in this match between England and Sri Lanka. England won the toss and decided to bat first. And, the Alastair Cook led side produced a fantabulous performance with the willow and piled up a total of 498/9 in their first innings. Moeen Ali was the top scorer for England and scored a magnificent 155*. Alex Hales and Joe Root chipped in with half-centuries as well.
Nuwan Pradeep was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka. The right-arm pacer scalped 4 wickets in the 33 overs that he bowled and gave away 107 runs. In reply, Sri Lanka produced an abysmal performance with the willow. The Angelo Mathews led side was bowled out for a total of 101, with as many as 7 batsmen not even scoring in double figures.
James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes scalped all the 10 wickets to fall in the Sri Lankan innings. While Anderson and Woakes picked up 3 wickets apiece, Broad dismissed 4 batsmen. Sri Lanka were asked to follow on. And, the visitors produced a much better performance in the 2nd innings. Dinesh Chandimal scored a flamboyant 126 and skipper Mathews scored a 105-ball 80, and the Sri Lankan outfit ended their second innings with a total of 475 on the board.
James Anderson scalped a five-wicket haul in the second innings. And, that left England with a target of 79 for victory. The hosts chased down the target with 9 wickets to spare, with Cook scoring an unbeaten 47.
Alastair Cook featured in a whopping 161 Test matches for England and plundered 12472 runs at an average of 45.35. And surely, he qualifies as one of the finest batsmen ever produced by England in the longest format of the game.
