Alastair Cook’s long goodbye begins and underlines his ongoing value | Barney Ronay

Former captain shares season-best opening stand of 60 and goes on to make 71 in the first innings of his 161st and final TestIt was the sound of Alastair Cook leaving the crease at the Kia Oval that you really noticed. There were three parts to it. First was the weird, involuntary groan as Jasprit Bumrah rushed a ball through Cook’s defences to splay the stumps. It was 4.22pm. Cook had nudged and cuffed and occasionally flashed his way to an autumnal half century on one of those sunny, ste