On this day: Ricky Ponting, Alastair Cook complete 10000 Test runs, 8 years apart

With Cricket across the globe coming to a standstill due to the coronavirus pandemic, we keep taking you back every day, offering glimpses of history. Today, May 30 is another day, special for former Ashes rivals and captains Ricky Ponting and Alastair Cook.

Both Ponting and Cook went on to register 10,000 Test runs, 8 years apart against West Indies and Sri Lanka respectively.

In 2008, then Australia captain Ricky Ponting became the 7th batsman to register 10000 Test runs at North Sound in Antigua. Whereas in 2016, then England skipper Alastair Cook became the 12th and youngest batsman to register 10000 Test runs at Chester-le-Street vs Sri Lanka.

Ricky Ponting in 2008

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting became only the seventh batsman to reach 10,000 runs in Test matches and declared himself proud of his long career.

Ponting went to the crease needing 61 on the first day of the second test against West Indies and become the third Australian to reach the milestone following former captains Allan Border and Steve Waugh.

He reached that target with a well-placed drive through the covers to take two off West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan but was dismissed soon after for 65.

Alastair Cook in 2016

Former England skipper Alastair Cook created history as he became the youngest batsman to breach the 10,000-run landmark in Test cricket, breaking an 11-year record held by Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar.

Cook achieved the feat – aged 31 years, five months and 7 days – on Day 4 of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street. Tendulkar was 31 years, 10 months and 20 days old when he scored his 10,000th run in a Test match against Pakistan at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in 2005.

Before the series Cook had said that he was eager to get to that mark as soon as possible so he can fully focus on rest of the series against Sri Lanka.