Alastair Cook 'doesn't feel like world's best dad' after leaving newborn for Bangladesh tour

Growing family: Alastair Cook
Getty Images,
Chris Stocks18 October 2016

Alastair Cook says he will use the emotion of having to leave his new‑born daughter as motivation when the First Test against Bangladesh starts on Thursday.

The England captain arrived back here in Chittagong just a day after his wife, Alice, had given birth to the newest member of their family on Sunday — an as-yet-unnamed baby girl.

Cook had been given permission by England’s management to fly home to be at the birth after spending 10 days in Bangladesh acclimatising alongside the one-day squad.

The 31-year-old might not now see his family until England return home from India on December 21. That tour, which comprises five Test matches, immediately follows the two-match series here in Bangladesh.

After his first net session today since rejoining his team-mates, Cook insisted the mixed emotions he felt at leaving home so soon after the arrival of his second child will be added motivation for the series ahead.

“It’s been quite an emotional 48 hours,” he said. “As you can imagine, having another daughter and then leaving so soon afterwards doesn’t make you feel like the best husband or father in the world.

“It’s great that mum and baby are doing very well and so it’s very special but I’m out here now so I’ve got to go and play some cricket.

“I think mentally and emotionally it will be a big challenge but there’s every motivation.

“It won’t be hard when you get out there because you know what you’ve left behind — it’s not going to guarantee you any runs but you can throw yourself straight in there and do the best you can because there is no point moping around.”

Cook will become England’s most capped Test cricketer when he makes his 134th appearance on Thursday. While his position is not in doubt, the big question is who will be his partner at the top of the order — Haseeb Hameed or Ben Duckett.

The skipper admitted today no decision had been taken and said: “Unfortunately on this one I’m pretty much in the dark.” Cook has had eight opening partners since the retirement of former captain Andrew Strauss in 2012.

Alex Hales, the last man to do the job, declined to tour Bangladesh on security grounds but he was always likely to be dropped for the Test part of this trip after averaging just 27.28 in his 11 matches.

That has left Hameed, the 19-year-old Lancashire opener, and Duckett, the hugely talented Northamptonshire batsman, vying for the role.

Hameed has had a brilliant season for Lancashire in the County Championship and is a more classical opener than Duckett, whose aggressive style saw him amass 2,706 runs during the English summer.

Both Duckett and Hameed scored half-centuries in England’s final tour match against a Bangladesh Board XI on Monday.

At this stage Duckett, who also made two half-centuries during the recent one-day series here, appears certain to make his Test debut on Thursday — primarily because if he does not open he is likely to bat at No4.

Cook said: “We’re in a bit of a unique situation. I haven’t seen any of the cricket for the last week or so so I’m going to be heavily reliant on the lieutenants. I have to trust them really. Ultimately it comes down to who we think will score the most runs.”

Cook’s appearance on Thursday will break a record that has been held for 13 years by Alec Stewart.

Open fight:  Ben Duckett and Haseeb Hameed are vying to partner Alastair Cook at the top of the order
Getty Images

The Essex batsman has played in every England Test over the past decade. He said: “I never thought I’d get anywhere near, so to break a record like that is very special. You need a lot of luck to stay injury free and score just enough runs at the right time to keep yourself in the team.

“I suppose if you’re being brutally honest, over the last two or three weeks it hasn’t been that close to my mind. The family stuff has taken that away so I haven’t really thought about it.”

England’s captain admits seven Tests on the sub-continent in eight weeks is daunting but believes the experience will bring his squad closer together.

“It’s going to be a challenge,” he said. “But that’s what Test cricket is — playing in different conditions and sometimes oppressive hard conditions and if we do well as a team it’s even more special. We’ve got seven games in these conditions. I’ve never experienced seven Test matches in eight weeks on the sub-continent. But these challenges can really unite a side and we’ve got to get off to a good start.”

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