Graham Gooch feels Alastair Cook is the best opening batsman in the world

Cook smashed a mammoth 263 against Pakistan

Graham Gooch heaped rich praise on Alastair Cook calling him the best opening batsman in the world and believes he is destined for much more greatness, reports BBC Sport. The former England skipper also criticised the match umpires from the opening Test between England and Pakistan for calling off the match without consulting the batting team.

Cook hit a masterful knock of 263 in about 836 minutes, which incidentally, was the longest innings by an Englishman and the third longest innings ever in Test cricket. Gooch appreciated the England skipper’s concentration and mental ability and hailed it as one of the best innings he has ever seen.

"It was one of the great innings. Ali(Cook) has always been very mentally strong, his concentration and application have always been there from a young age.”

The former captain went on to say that Cook has been the most consistent batsman over the years, even after playing cricket for 10 years. He also remarked that Cook was in the prime of his career, thus contributing to his excellent form.

"I think Alastair is the premier opening batsman in world cricket and has been for a number of years. He's been playing for nearly 10 years, but he's still only 30. The best years for a batsman are from 25 to 35, with the really premium years probably from 27 to 33, so he is right in the middle of his best period,” he stated.

Based on statistics, it would be hard to argue with the assessment made by Gooch and he is also currently the leading run-getter for England with 9593 runs in 120 Tests, at an average of over 47. The former England batsman expects Cook to easily cross the 10,000-run mark very soon and feels that with the same mental ability, he could achieve much more greatness in the years to come.

"He should go well past 10,000 runs and really, the world is his oyster, I don't think he will have any problems fitness-wise. The only question is whether you can retain your mental stability, that drive and hunger. That tends to go first and then there is (a) danger you get burnt out,” the former England batting coach said.

Gooch criticises umpires’ decision

During the first Test against Pakistan when England were denied victory, Gooch felt that the umpires’ decision to stop play due to bad light, created a ‘bad image’ for the game.

"You want to be out there entertaining people. Obviously they had taken a reading from the day before and went with that but common sense should prevail. In the past, the umpires asked the batting side if they wanted to stay on. Obviously England would have liked to. I don't think the average person on the street would understand why they went off”, he said.