England vs Sri Lanka: Alastair Cook hails 'special moment for me personally' after 10,000 Test runs landmark
The England captain, at 31 and five months, beat the record set by Indian great Sachin Tendulkar
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Your support makes all the difference.Alastair Cook admitted it was a special moment to become the youngest player to reach 10,000 Test runs on the day his England side wrapped up a series-sealing nine-wicket win against Sri Lanka at the Riverside.
The England captain, at 31 and five months, beat the record set by Indian great Sachin Tendulkar when he scored the five runs he needed to become the 12th man in history to score 10,000.
Cook is also the first Englishman to reach the landmark and it was fitting he got there during an unbeaten innings of 47 that guided his side to a successful pursuit of 79 and saw them win their three-match series with a game to spare.
On reaching his milestone, Cook said: “Clearly everyone has been talking about it over the last couple of weeks.
“It should not play on your mind but it did and I can’t deny that.
“It is a special moment for me personally to join the club and the company of the people who have scored 10,000 runs.
“The 10,000 has been a milestone that has driven me over the last few years.”
Cook admitted the moment was made even more special by the presence of Alice, his wife, and daughter Elsie at the Riverside.
“When I was 20-odd not out saw Elsie running around with Layton Stokes [Ben Stokes’ son] then you realise how special it all is. My mother and father in law were also here but it is a shame my Mum and Dad went home.”
Now, with Tendulkar heading the all-time list of Test runscorers with 15,921, Cook admits he has no idea how many runs he can accumulate during the rest of his career. “Who knows,” he said. “I never thought I would get 10,000. Now will have to have a rethink and set something else personally. I am still hungry to achieve stuff.”
Another player who also remains hungry is James Anderson, whose haul of 5 for 58 in the second innings here saw him earn the man-of-the-match award.
But Anderson, whose efforts on Monday saw him pass 450 Test wickets, was keen to pay tribute to his captain.
“It is a fantastic achievement and something that has been on his mind for the last few weeks,” he said. “All that hard work, the effort, the lows and highs as well. It has all come down to this moment for him. He should treasure it.”
Sri Lanka had fought hard to slow England’s march to victory, Dinesh Chandimal scoring 126 as their defiant second-innings 475 staved off a second successive innings defeat following last week’s mauling at Headingley.
But neither Cook nor England could be denied
“It was tough,” he said. “The pitch died a death and they made us work hard for it. Sometimes it is a bit sweeter that way because you feel you have earned it.”
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