Sir Garry Sobers says Alastair Cook took his advice to 'live calm'
Wednesday 4 November 2015 07:01, UK
Alastair Cook's record-breaking Test career is down to a "model" attitude, according to one of cricket's greats.
Sir Garry Sobers first encountered Cook at his international schools tournament in Barbados and offered advice in his early days as an England batsman.
In the years since, Cook has become the first Englishman to score 9,000 Test runs and this week set a new record for most Test runs in a calendar year as an England captain.
And former West Indies all-rounder Sobers says those achievements are reward for his dedication.
"You can see when the youngsters have potential," he said. "Alastair Cook was one of those, and within a couple of years after playing in the competition, he was making headlines.
"I had the opportunity to talk to him not long after he'd got into the England team. He'd scored a couple of quick hundreds, and I told him 'don't get carried away by this'.
"Sometimes people go into cricket, start well, think they have everything solved and get ahead of themselves. But he's performed well and kept working hard.
"I said 'forget about it, live calm', and he's done that. He's really been a model as far as that is concerned. Attitude helps a lot in all forms and fashions.
"If you've got a good attitude whatever you're doing, you'll blossom. If you don't care about this and about that, then nobody will care about you. If you show that you care, you're committed and interested, people will help you, and that is what it is all about."
