No retirement plans for Cook

Perth, December 12 

Alastair Cook has “no idea” when he will be retiring and is completely focused on beating Australia in his 150th Test this week to keep the Ashes series alive, the former England captain said.

Cook, England’s most prolific Test run scorer, has made 62 runs in four innings as the tourists have gone 0-2 down in the five-match series and some former players-turned-pundits have suggested he might be about to call time on his career. “I haven’t made any decision on anything. All my focus is on this game, the biggest of our lives coming up,” Cook said.

Cook captained England on their last Ashes tour Down Under when spinner Graeme Swann retired mid-series with the tourists 0-3 down and headed for a 5-0 whitewash.

Former Australian paceman Mitchell Johnson and England batsman Kevin Pietersen have suggested that Cook had the look of a man who might be ready to hang up his bat. “For the people who are saying that, they’ve had no contact time with me,” Cook, who will be 33 later this month, said.  “They wouldn’t know the extra nets I’ve been doing behind closed doors. I was with (my batting coach) yesterday for an hour-and-a-half in the morning, desperate to keep working on my game. That’s probably not a guy who’s given in. To be honest with you, I have no idea (when I’ll retire). And I’ve said that since I gave up the captaincy.” 

The opener said retirement might not end up being his own choice if he continued to fail to make runs and said becoming the first England player to play 150 Tests was “quite special”. — Reuters