2011

Coming off the back of a very successful end to 2010, this was the first time Cook was properly considered one of the best batters in the world. He may have scored 5 Test centuries in 2010, but this includes the period where he changed his technique and was very nearly dropped in the Pakistan series. He changed his technique midway through that series against Pakistan and went on to end the year with 3 hundreds in 5 innings. Cook took this form and confidence into 2011 and went on to averaged 84 in Test cricket this year.   

 

The year began with 189 against Australia in the Sydney Test, setting the foundations for the comprehensive England victory that sealed the Ashes. Some players would be unable to repeat such consistency in the series following a historic triumph, but Cook delivered this in the home series against Sri Lanka. In his four innings, his lowest score was 55, and his two centuries saw his average climb to 97 for the series, as England secured a 1-0 victory against a good Sri Lanla side in their quest to become the number 1 ranked Test team. This goal was secured in the 4-0 whitewash of India that followed. Cook did not find quite the same consistency in this series, but in the series decider at Edgbaston that secured England’s position as the best test side in the world, Cook hit a career-best 294. This was England’s highest Test score since Graham Gooch’s 333, and solidified Cook as England’s best opener since Gooch.

 

This was also the year he became a regular in ODI cricket, as captain, and his performances in this format of the game were consistent. His strike rate of 93 this year in 50 over cricket was as good as he got in this format, and as a new captain he led England to consecutive series wins against that year’s world cup finalists, Sri Lanka and India.

 

 

2012

This was the year that Cook became England captain in both Test and ODI cricket, positions that elevated his batting. His average of 48 in Test cricket and 47 in 50-over cricket illustrate his consistency across formats, but do not do justice to the quality of some of his performances.

 

The first-half of 2012 was not vintage for Cook in Test cricket, although his 94 against Pakistan in the UAE was the best score managed by an English batter. His 115 against South Africa in the first game of that series is overshadowed by Hashim Amla’s 311, but this innings should not be overlooked. A century against one of the best fast bowling attacks ever (Steyn, Morkel, Philander, Kallis) in the first innings of a series to decide the best Test team in the world is something truly great players do. But it was the following series against India away where Cook demonstrated his ability as one of the greatest players of spin not born in the subcontinent ever. Winning a series in India as captain after being 1-0 down is special enough, but scoring 3 consecutive centuries arguably elevates this series performance above that of the 2010/11 Ashes. His first hundred came in a losing cause but helped show his fellow players the way to play on turning pitches. He played second fiddle to Kevin Pietersen when making 122 in Mumbai, but his 190 in a winning effort in Kolkata was his best of the lot. Cook’s record as captain seemed to take his batting to another level at the beginning.

 

2012 was Cook’s best year as an ODI player and captain. His two centuries in a 4-0 series win in the UAE against Pakistan kicked off what would be a very successful year for the 50-over team. Under Cook’s leadership, England became the number one ranked ODI team in the world for the first time ever after hammering Australia 4-0. His average of 47 in the format was the highest he achieved in a single year. Whilst his ODI career would end badly, at this stage there was a relief belief in English cricket that under Cook’s leadership this team had the capability of being a consistent presence at the top of the rankings.

 

 

2015

This was Cook’s redemption year. He began 2015 having just been stripped of the ODI captaincy a couple of months before the 50-over world cup. His place in the Test side, as well as his captaincy, was also being severely questioned after an underwhelming 2014. With only the one format to focus on, Cook went about reviving his career as a Test batter and captain in exceptional circumstances.

 

He regained his form in the 1-1 draw against the West Indies at the conclusion of a long hard winter. His 106 in the final game was emotional, his first century for England in almost two years. His average of 53 for the series suggested he had found the consistency he was associated with before his late 2013 slump. This was confirmed with his performances at home against New Zealand. His 162 in the victory at Lords may not have been as thrilling as Ben Stokes hitting the fastest Test hundred that ground had ever seen, but it was the best he had played since the 2012 India tour. His performances with the bat in the subsequent Ashes were mixed, but an average of 36 in a series where only Joe Root and Steve Smith showed consistency is not bad. He was unlucky not to get a century at Lords: his 96 coming against a fired up Mitchell Johnson was very good. His average of 90 against Pakistan in the UAE was bolstered by a marathon 263 in the first test, which was the third longest innings in terms of minutes ever played in Test history. Whilst the rest of the England team struggled in the heat throughout the series, Cook once again proved he could master the sub-continent when others couldn’t.

 

This year was also Cook’s best as a captain. Inspired by the attacking and positive mindset of Trevor Bayliss, Cook’s imaginative fields complemented a more aggressive batting line-up. Regaining the Ashes 18 months after a whitewash was a great personal triumph for Cook, whose captaincy had previously been regarded as too defensive by most pundits. As of 2026, Cook is the last England captain to win an Ashes series, making this 2015 victory seem more impressive than it perhaps did at the time.

 

 

Winner = 2012

The year of 2012 was Alastair Cook’s peak as a cricketer. This was the year he combined consistency with the bat across formats with a very impressive winnings record as captain.

 

2011 saw Cook score the same amount of Test centuries as he would do in 2012, but the quality of the bowling attacks was lower than it would be a year later. 2015 saw Cook return to the same levels as a batter that he had been at in 2011 and 2012, but his omission from ODI cricket played a large part in that.

 

The year that a cricketer is at their peak is a year where they were consistently great across formats. Cook achieved this in 2012, producing three match winning performances in a series victory away in India that looks more spectacular the more subsequent England sides go to India and get hammered. His consistency with the bat in ODI cricket is perhaps forgotten, with people more likely to remember the sad end to his career in the format. But taking England to number one in the rankings whilst churning out important runs himself is mightily impressive.

 

Alastair Cook was at his peak in 2012