Ashes 2017: Alastair Cook hammers 5th double hundred at MCG

Alastair Cook silenced critics by hammering his second double hundred. (AP)

What a turnaround it has been for Alastair Cook in Melbourne. The former England captain was criticised heavily for his poor performance in the series so far and several former English cricketers questioned whether it is time for him to give up his boots and take retirement. The left-handed batsman scored just 83 runs in the series so far before the start of the 4th Ashes Test against Australia in Melbourne.

But Cook proved his mettle and silenced his critics as he went on to score his 5th Test double hundred at MCG. Cook’s dobule ton came in 360 deliveries and his innings comprised of 10 boundaries. During the course of his innings, he also surpassed Shivnarine Chanderpaul to reach the 7th position in the list of cricketers with most runs in Test cricket. In 151 Tests, the 33-year old has scored 11910* runs and is the highest run scorer from his country.

It is also the second time Cook has scored a double hundred in Australia. His first double century in the country came back in 2010 at Gabba in Brisbane in a match that ended in a draw. The only visiting batsman who has scored more double centuries in the country was Wally Hammond (3), while Brian Lara has also scored 2.

Cook’s score of 206* is the highest score by an England batsman at MCG as he surpassed Wally Hammond’s 200. With his efforts, England managed to take a good lead over Australia on the third day of the 4th Test at MCG, even though wickets kept tumbling on the other end.