Former England captain Alastair Cook announced his retirement from professional cricket on Friday. The 38-year-old played for Essex for 5 years after retiring from Test cricket in 2018.

Alastair Cook, England's leading Test run-scorer and one of the best batters of his generation, has announced his retirement from the professional game.

In the final rounds of this year's LV= Insurance County Championship, there was speculation that the 38-year-old Cook might end his playing career. Essex played down the reports, with the club still in contention for the Division One title, and said Cook would sit down at the end of the season to discuss his future - but the former England captain has now confirmed his decision .

“Today I announce my retirement and the end of my career as a professional cricketer,” Cook said in a statement. “It's not easy to say goodbye. For over two decades, cricket has been so much more than just my job. It has allowed me to experience places I never dreamed I would go and be part of teams that have achieved things I never would have believed possible and what am The most important thing is making deep friendships that will last a lifetime.

“From the eight-year-old boy who first played for Wickham Bishops U11s to today, I leave with a strange feeling of sadness mixed with pride. Although, above all, I am incredibly happy. It’s the right time for this part.” My life is coming to an end. I have always given everything I could to be the best player I could be, but now I want to make way for the new generation to take over.”

Cook, in his final county season at 38, scored 836 runs in 14 games with 165 fifties. Cook played 161 Tests and scored 12,472 runs at an average of 45.35. In his 12-year career as a white man, he scored 33 hundreds and 57 fifties.

“It's not easy to say goodbye. “Cricket was so much more than my job,” Cook said in a statement.