- By Gurmeet Batra
- Sun, 04 Jan 2026 03:55 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Legendary England batter Alastair Cook has hinted at a potential coaching career, with the national Test team a possible destination. Since Chris Silverwood's departure in 2022, England's red-ball fortunes have been assigned to Brendon McCullum, who has yet to steer the side to an ICC World Test Championship final.
The former England captain Michael Atherton has thrown his weight behind Alastair Cook as a possible successor to McCullum, suggesting the legendary opener could be a qualified option to lead the national Test team. Cook refrained from explicitly expressing his interest in the top job.
"The only thing I will say about it is the article needed to be 800 words and Mike Atherton had done 600 and used the final 200 and threw something in,” Cook said while speaking on TNT Sports.
"Look, at some stage in my life, would I like to be involved in the England cricket team? I think I would like to try and make a difference,” Cook said.
Cook revealed he's yet to receive an approach from the ECB about possible coaching roles.
"I don't know whether that is the next bit or whatever. At the moment there are people in jobs and all that kind of stuff. And there has been zero contact. Zero in it. Let's just see,” Cook added.
A prolific career transiting 161 Tests saw Cook accumulate 12,472 runs, second only to Joe Root's tally for England. He also guided the team in 59 matches, with a record of 24 wins, 22 losses, and 13 draws.
Michael Atherton wrote in The Times, "Alastair Cook, if he could be persuaded, would be a perfect candidate. Having retired from Test cricket in 2018, he is in touch with the game, but distanced enough to have seen it from beyond the boundary."
"He is one of England's greatest cricketers. He knows what it takes to succeed, having scored 33 Test hundreds. He won the Ashes at home, as captain, and away as a player. He captained England to home and away triumphs in India. He was equally good against pace and spin," he added.
"He made himself into a champion by dint of a Stakhanovite work ethic. He could probably still outrun most of the players now. If McCullum's great strength - and it is a great strength - is making his players feel 10 feet tall, then Cook could help with the drive and the discipline," Atherton said.