Captain Alastair Cook savoured a special moment in his glittering career after becoming the first England cricketer to reach 10,000 Test runs during the second test against Sri Lanka in Durham on Monday.
The left-handed opener was the youngest player and 12th overall to reach the landmark as he helped England secure a nine-wicket victory on the fourth day that gave the hosts an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar, Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh, Allan Border, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Jacques Kallis are the other batsmen on the list.
"It's a very special moment," the 31-year-old told the presentation ceremony after making 47 not out to guide England to a meagre victory target of 79.
"The game is not about personal milestone...it's about winning games for England and scoring runs to do that.
"Second to that there are little milestones along the way and certainly it's been a little bit on my shoulders, I cannot lie, because everyone's been telling me how many I need to get there."
Cook, who took over as captain from Andrew Strauss in 2012, has a highest test score of 294, against India in 2011.
He has played 128 Tests and averages of 46.49, having accumulated an England record tally of 28 hundreds and 47 half-centuries.
"It's a very special day because my family are here to see it," said Cook, referring to his wife and young daughter.
"Unfortunately, my mum and dad went home last night but I'm sure they are watching on TV."
The fire in Cook's belly seems to be burning as bright as ever and he looked forward with relish to the batting challenges ahead.
"There are always questions to be asked, no matter how many runs you've got behind you," he said. "The next innings is always the most important one and you're always going to be tested by the best bowlers.
"One thing I'm proud of is that to be at the top of the batting order, against the new ball, scoring those runs does mean a lot."
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