LONDON – Alastair Cook became just the fifth player and first Englishman to score a hundred in both their first and last Tests when he reached three figures against India at the Oval on Monday.
The 33-year-old opener, England's all-time leading Test run-scorer, reached the landmark in unusual fashion when an overthrow from Jasprit Bumrah that went to the boundary gave him a five after he had already completed a single on the fourth day of the fifth Test.
Cook, who is retiring from international cricket after his match, was the first batsman since India's Mohammad Azharuddin in 2000 to score hundreds in both their first and last Test matches.
Below AFP Sport lists all the batsmen to have achieved the feat.
A ton up for Alistair Cook against India on Monday. Photo: Paul Childs/Reuters
Hundreds in first and last Tests:
Reggie Duff (Australia)
Test debut: Australia v England, Melbourne 1902: 32 and 104
Last Test: England v Australia, The Oval 1905: 146 and DNB
Bill Ponsford (Australia)
Test debut: Australia v England, Sydney 1924: 110 and 27
Last Test: England v Australia, The Oval 1934: 266 and 22
Greg Chappell (Australia)
Test debut: Australia v England, Perth 1970: 108 and DNB
Last Test: Australia v Pakistan, Sydney 1984: 182 and DNB
Mohammad Azharuddin (India)
Test debut: India v England, Calcutta 1984/85: 110 and DNB
Last Test: India v South Africa, Bangalore 2000: 9 and 102
Alastair Cook (England)
Test debut: India v England, Nagpur 2006: 60 and 104 no
Last Test: England v India, The Oval 2018: 71 and 103 no
Notes: DNB = Did not bat
Cook's second innings score as at lunch on fourth day of fifth Test