(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

From a wide-eyed teenager marvelling at Brian Lara's genius to earning a coveted place in the pantheon of Test batting greats, Alastair Cook's journey is quite astonishing.

The former England opener may have retired from Test cricket in 2018 as one of the highest run-scorers in the format (12,472 from 161 Tests with 33 hundreds), but the 40-year-old still talks about the game with the same enthusiasm with which he first played cricket for a local club in England at the age of 11.

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In an exclusive interview with Khaleej Times, Cook, who was in Dubai to attend an event at Queen Elizabeth's School, looked back on his career, revealed admiration for the UAE's world-class cricket facilities and gave his verdict on England's chances of making a comeback in the Ashes Down Under.

Q. You played in Dubai when Pakistan used to play their home matches here. Tell us about this place, the way cricket has come up, infrastructure-wise..

Yeah, when I came here first with the England Lions in 2004, and if you had told me 21 years later this is what it's going to be, this is what the infrastructure for cricket is going to be, I probably would have laughed at you. The facilities are now unbelievable. I want to say when I came here in 2012 for a Test match, and I think it was seven years after I first came here, and you know, it was almost disbelief, different facilities, different net, you have got quick nets, you've got spin nets. And Abu Dhabi as well, they have also got fantastic facilities.

Q. You spoke about the unbelievable transformation of Dubai. Now, when we look back, you started your Test career with a second innings hundred in India. Very few players in history have done that. But even then, did you believe that you would go on to score more than 12,000 Test runs and become one of the all-time great opening batters?

You dream about playing for your country. You dream about trying to make a difference. You try to win games for your country. And then all the stuff that followed, I suppose, was beyond my wildest dreams. When I look back now, I feel very lucky that I played in some very good (England) teams, with players like James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Strauss. And then when you've got those players, you get to experience some amazing things. I'll never forget winning those Test series in India, Australia and South Africa. They are the moments that you treasure along the way. Of course, I take a great deal of pride in the runs that I scored. I could have played better on a fair few of them. But I am happy with what I have done in my career.

Q. You, of course, did amazingly well in your career. But what strikes us is that you are still such a big fan of Brian Lara. You are almost like a wide-eyed teenager when you speak about him on the popular cricket podcast, 'Stick to Cricket'...

I think there are people like Brian who play at a level I can't get anywhere near, and I mean that, like you know, some of the innings, some of the shots that those players played, I was amazed by these guys. I played once against Brian, and it was amazing to see his quick feet and bat speed. There will always be some players like Brian who will inspire the next generation.

Q. Brian Lara has not become Sir Brian Lara yet. But you received knighthood from the late Queen Elizabeth in 2019...

I don't know whether I deserved it or not, but it's a huge honour and the fact that it was Queen Elizabeth who did it. They are extraordinary moments. That was a very proud moment for my family and for myself.

Q. Now you are associated with Queen Elizabeth's School, which is named after the iconic figure, as the ambassador for their elite sports programme. You will be part of the confidence-building initiative to help children prosper...

This is an unbelievable project. I'm going to have to say that's the start of this project. I mean, this school is going to be extraordinary. And the facilities are unbelievable for the kids.

Q. Now let's talk about the Ashes. Do you see a way back for England after that unbelievable knock from Travis Head, which finished the first Test in two days for Australia?

I look at the positive side because someone needed to play one of the greatest innings in the Ashes. And Head did that. Despite that, England were in a good position in that game; they shouldn't have lost from that position, I think there was frustration from English fans and players because they were 100 runs ahead with 9 wickets left, and then they lost that game in four and a half hours. Unfortunately, you can't afford to do that. Now, can they cope with it? Yes, they can because they are the only team I know who have won games after some very bad defeats. But they need someone to play at his absolute peak to have a chance.

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