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Cook could surpass Sachin: Botham

Sir Ian Botham says giving up the captaincy could give Alastair Cook freedom to break Test run-scoring record

 

Sir Ian Botham believes Alastair Cook's decision to relinquish the England captaincy could see him surpass Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar as Test cricket's greatest ever run-scorer.

The England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed on Monday they had accepted Cook’s resignation as Test captain, ending his four-and-a-half-year reign that included 59 consecutive Tests.

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The opener, who is still only 32, will continue to play as a batsman and Botham believes the left-hander will become an even more prolific run-scorer now that he's been freed of the pressure that comes with leading the side.

Image Id: C9A6FE6DBC4F4B7EA137D65CC09A1AC6 Image Caption: Cook will continue his career as England's Test opener // Getty Images

Cook has tallied more than 11,000 Test runs over his 11 years in the game and while he’s still some 5,000 runs short of Tendulkar's all-time record of 15,921, Botham says the Indian’s mark can be caught.

"Cooky is the one player who has any realistic chance of challenging Sachin Tendulkar's run-scoring feats and I wouldn't put it past him to set a global standard for others to chase," Botham wrote in The Mirror.

"He is still a young man.

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"He has made his last decision as England captain and it may yet prove to be one of his best.

"He will get a new lease of life as a batsman and be able to churn out more runs than any England player ever thought possible."

While surpassing the great Tendulkar has long been thought impossible, Cook certainly has time on his side.

Having turned 32 last Christmas, the opener could conceivably play on for another five years or possibly more, if his form and fitness warrant continued selection in the side.

Image Id: 878AEBD0726F4BA3A5BC6F74B2713537 Image Caption: Sachin finished his career with 51 centuries from 200 Tests // Getty

Tendulkar was 40 when he called time on his Test career, while the other four leading run-scorers in the game's history - Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, Rahul Dravid and Kumar Sangakkara - were all 37 or older when they retired.

Adding to Cook's potential longevity in the game is the fact he no longer plays one-day or Twenty20 cricket for his country and his style of play means he's unlikely to leave the international game to play domestic T20 cricket around the world.

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Based purely on Cook's annual average of approximately 1,000 runs and 12 Tests per calendar year, he could conceivably make up the current 4864-run discrepancy between himself and Tendulkar within five years, by which time he'll be 37.

And Cook's recent form, combined with the prolific number of Test matches England play, means he has showed no signs of slowing down in recent years; the left-hander delivered 1,270 runs in 2016 having posted 1,364 the previous year and could play up to 11 Tests in 2017, if selected.

Another of Cook's predecessors as England captain, Nasser Hussain, has also backed the left-hander to continue to break even more run-scoring records.

And Hussain praised Cook for standing firm during a turbulent 2014, when England lurched from their Ashes whitewash in Australia to a shock home defeat against Sri Lanka, which sparked calls for him to resign.

Image Id: F9C7D22EF04F4D238615251E94C8A4D3 Image Caption: Cook has scored more than 2500 Test runs over the past two years // Getty Images

"His longevity - an incredible 138 Tests in a row (and counting) … speaks volumes for his dedication and sheer stubbornness," Hussain wrote on Sky Sports.

" ... I see no reason why, given his near-perfect work-life balance and high level of fitness, that Alastair can't go on and break even more records.

"Of all his achievements, the most personal was winning the 2015 Ashes after losing 5-0 in 2013-14.

"English cricket was in absolute turmoil after that whitewash with the nation split over whether Kevin Pietersen should stay or go.

"Cook could easily have taken the soft option and walked away but that's simply not his style.

"That 2015 Ashes was his mountain; he put all of his fight and emotion into winning back the urn."

While there was overwhelming praise for Cook following his decisions, his tactical shortcomings as skipper were not glossed over by the English media.

Cook's captaincy career was punctuated by a number of historic victories but also humiliating defeats; series wins in India and South Africa as well as two Ashes triumphs are fondly remembered, however the lows of their Ashes whitewash, Test defeat to Bangladesh late last year and recent 4-0 thumping by India still linger in the memory.

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Former skipper Michael Vaughan said while Cook had his failings, he was a superb leader of men who had the utmost respect of his teammates.

"He will not go down as one of the great tacticians or movers of the game but he will go down as one of the great captain-batsmen," Vaughan wrote in The Telegraph.

"Whether he was tough enough and ruthless enough is a fair question but that is not his personality and you have to be yourself when England captain.

"He probably will not be in the top five greatest captains but he is one of the greatest men to lead the team. In time he can be more proud of that than anything else."