Cook's double ton rips record books to shreds

Cape Town - England opener Alastair Cook's unbeaten double ton in the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne has rewritten cricket's record books.

SCORECARD: Australia v England, 4th Ashes Test

Cook carried his bat in scoring 244 not out in England's first innings total of 491 at the MCG.

According to award-winning statistician Andrew Samson, in doing so, Cook moved from ninth on the list of all-time Test run scorers to sixth, passing Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene and West Indian duo Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Brian Lara.

Next up?

Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara who is 444 runs ahead of the England star.

Cook also joined Jayawardene as the only two players to have batted for over 10 hours on four separate occasions.

Cook's double ton - his second on Australian soil - tied Lara for second most Down Under, one behind compatriot Wally Hammond.

His knock was also the fifth occasion Cook has passed the 200-mark, breaking out of a tie with countryman Len Hutton and moving to within two of Hammond's leading seven double tons.

The 'lowest' of Cook's five highest Test scores is 235*. Only two players have a better fifth highest score: Australia's Don Bradman (254) and Jayawardene (237).

In addition, Cook became the first player from any country to carry his bat at the MCG, the sport's oldest venue, having hosted the game's inaugural Test in March 1877, and the first batsman to do it in an Ashes series since England's Geoffrey Boycott finished on 99 not out at Perth in 1979.

Cook also posted the highest score by a player to carry his bat, with his 244* eclipsing New Zealander Glenn Turner's unbeaten 223 in 1972.

Alastair Cook went from 9th highest run-scorer in Tests to 6th in 24 hours, passing Jayawardene, Chanderpaul & Lara.#bbccricket

— Andrew Samson (@AWSStats) December 28, 2017

Alastair Cook joins Mahela Jayawardene as the only players to have batted for over 10 hours on 4 occasions in Test cricket.

— Andrew Samson (@AWSStats) December 28, 2017

Most 200s by visiting batsmen in Australia:
3 Wally Hammond
2 Brian Lara & Alastair Cook

— Andrew Samson (@AWSStats) December 28, 2017

Most Test 200s for England:
7 Wally Hammond
5 Alastair Cook
4 Len Hutton#bbccricket

— Andrew Samson (@AWSStats) December 28, 2017

Alastair Cook's 5th highest score in Test cricket is 235*. Only two players have a better 5th highest score: D Bradman 254 & M Jayawardene 237.#bbccricket

— Andrew Samson (@AWSStats) December 28, 2017