Record-breaking Cook admits tough to leave family

It feels appropriate that the Test match that makes Alastair Cook England’s most capped player comes with a nervous trip across continents, limited preparation time, and a life-changing moment. Much has come between – not least 10,599 runs – but this, of course, was how it all started for Cook.

Then, in Nagpur 2006, he made 60 and 104, the first of 29 (and counting) centuries, after a three-day journey from the Caribbean due to Marcus Trescothick falling unwell. Ten years and 133 Tests later (he has missed just one, in Mumbai two weeks after his debut), the birth of his second daughter delayed his arrival in Chittagong for a subcontinental winter he deems his greatest challenge yet.

Perhaps the most important delivery of England’s tour has already happened. England and the Cook family’s ploy was ambitious. During the ODI series, he spent a week in Dhaka acclimatising: hitting balls in the nets, pushing himself to his famously robust limits and taking catch after catch. On October 9, he headed home and, 36 hours after the baby was born a few days later, he was taking off from Heathrow again. Early on Monday evening he returned to the team hotel in Chittagong and spent Tuesday, a day off for the rest of the squad (bar keeper Jonny Bairstow), training. And they say the best laid plans go to waste?

“Like all these things you are in the lap of the gods but the most important thing is mum and baby are well,” he said. “As everyone knows it has been a fairly emotional few days… it doesn’t make you feel like the best husband and father in the world leaving only 18 hours after the birth but we are here now and you have to get stuck …

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