Alastair Cook retires: Career in pictures

England cricket's modern colossus, Alastair Cook announced his decision to retire after the ongoing India series, declaring an end to a 12-year international career that witnessed astonishing batting heights.

England's highest run-getter in Tests, and their most-capped player with 160 games, Cook underwent several phases through his glittering international career, a journey that had its share of breathtaking ups and a few dismal lows as well.

The Cook saga started in 2000 when he was admitted to the Essex Academy aged only 16. His debut came in 2003 when he first made his List A debut and followed it with his first-class debut for Essex.

Based on his form, he was named as captain of the U-19 England side for the World Cup in 2004.

He was an instant hit and had an eye-catching season in 2004, going on to win the PCA Young Cricketer of the Year in 2005.

Cook after winning the PCA Young Cricketer's Award in 2005

He hit 1267 runs during his final years at Belford, as an 18-year-old.

As a 21-year-old, he was summoned from an A-tour of the West Indies when Marcus Trescothick decided to head home to India, following mental health problems.

Cook at Nagpur in 2006

The move paid rich dividends as Cook slammed a 60 and an unbeaten 104 at Nagpur, against a bowling attack featuring Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan and Sreesanth.

Cook celebrates his century at Perth

Later that year, on a searing Perth wicket, and against the likes of Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Shane Warne, he compiled a six-hour marathon knock of 114 in the Ashes. Apart from that, however, he did not have a great tour, collecting only 276 runs in 10 innings.

Cook celebrates his century in Galle

Before turning 23, Cook had seven centuries in Test cricket - a feat only Sachin Tendulkar, Javed Miandad and Donald Bradman had achieved in the past. On a testing track in Sri Lanka in 2007, he scored a stubborn century, showcasing maturity and technical prowess way beyond his age.

Cook played only 4 T20Is for England

He did not feature as frequently in the limited-overs format and was snubbed for the World T20 in 2007. The progress from there on wasn't easy as he received increasing criticism about his inability to convert fifties into three figures. He did not score another Test century until 2009.

Cook after his century against South Africa in 2009

His form started to return against the West Indies in 2009, and a well-constructed century in South Africa against an attack comprising of Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini and Morne Morkel, highlighted how well-rounded his game was.

Cook in action as Kamran Akmal and Yasir Hameed look on

In an infamous series against Pakistan, marred by clouds of spot-fixing, Cook stood tall after enduring a summer averaging 13. The Ashes followed, and Cook's form and technique carried big question marks along when he assembled a brilliant 110 in a game where none of the other batsmen could pass more than 36. They lost by four wickets but found a one-man army to fight bigger battles in the future.

A bumper Ashes

Cook had a tremendous Ashes in 2010

Pakistan served as the perfect platform for a bumper Ashes, a series where Cook surfed above everyone else, amassing 766 runs in total. 235 of them came in one knock at Brisbane, as Cook nullified a deficit of 221, flipping it into a 296-run lead for England.

Cook acknowledges the Gabba crowd after his marathon innings

The 235-run knock, spread across 10.5 hours, was the longest one at the Gabba, breaking Donald Bradman's record. He followed it with a 148 in Adelaide and a sensational 189 in Sydney. After the series, his career average went past 48.

Cook demolished India in 2011

A 778-minute dismantling of the Indian team in 2011, one which saw him come agonizingly close to a Test triple, formed the peak of his career. In terms of length, only Len Hutton had batted for a longer time for England, as Cook's 294-run marathon, his 19th Test century, flattened the Indian attack beyond repair.

Cook scored three hundreds against India in 2012

He took over the full-time captaincy after Andrew Strauss' retirement in 2012, and in only his first assignment as skipper, scored a painstaking 374-ball 176 at Ahmedabad. He followed it with scores of 122 and 190 in Mumbai and Kolkata to show his immense appetite for runs.

Cook walks off after his near 14-hour effort

If one thought that Cook's marathon effort against India in 2011 couldn't be eclipsed, he bettered it with an 836-minute effort, the fourth-longest knock in Test cricket ever. Those 263 runs, scored in Abu Dhabi against Pakistan, attested his reputation as a peerless great of the modern game.

Gooch was Cook's mentor and coach for a long time

Against New Zealand that year, he went past Graham Gooch's England milestone of 8900 runs, breaking a 22-year-old record, and sparking a popular debate about the possibility of surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's tally of runs and centuries.

Cook celebrates with his teammates after clinching the 2015 Ashes

A high-point in his captaincy tenure came against Australia in 2015, when he clinched the Ashes for the second time at home, a feat that had previously been achieved by only Mike Brearley and WG Grace.

Cook celebrates his century against Pakistan in 2016

In May 2016, he broke Sachin Tendulkar's record by becoming the youngest to reach 10,000 runs, and two months later, went past Don Bradman's tally of 29 Test centuries. Only 31, Cook seemed to be cruising towards Tendulkar's statistics, but slowed down as the year passed by.

Cook with captain Virat Kohli in 2016

The burden of captaincy hit him hard when his side endured a crushing series loss to India, following which he decided to pass on the baton to Joe Root.

Cook walks off after his century at MCG

He seemed to have slowed down but scored an astonishing double-hundred to shut all his detractors in Australia, scoring an unbeaten 244 at Melbourne to help prevent a whitewash.