Alastair Cook spoke of his pride and relief at passing 10,000 Test runs after England secured an Investec series win against Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street with a nine-wicket victory.

England wrapped up the second Test inside four days to take an unassailable 2-0 lead with one to go but the highlight of the day was skipper Cook’s unbeaten 47, which saw him become the first Englishman to reach the landmark. The 31-year-old Essex batsman, who struck a boundary to join an 11-strong group of players to achieve the feat, said: “I don’t think it whistled, I think it trickled over! I was coming back for three, but it’s a very special moment for me. The game is not about personal milestones, if you’re honest it’s about winning games of cricket for England and trying to score runs to do that.

“But second to that there are little milestones along the way and certainly it’s been a little bit on my shoulder, I can’t lie to you.

“Everyone was telling me how many I need for it, so it’s a really special day.

“It’s great that my family are here to see it. Unfortunately mum and dad went home last night but I’m sure they’re watching on TV.

“You get your runs but there’s a lot of hard work that goes into it away from this stage to get you there.”