Cook called time on his international career during the Tests against India last year, scoring a memorable 147 in his final innings. However, England have since struggled to replace him, and his retirement has compounded problems in the openers’ slot.

Cook, meanwhile, has been in decent nick for Essex, starting the season with a 150* for Cambridge MCCU and scoring a half-century against Hampshire thereafter.

But, he insisted he’d never go back on his international retirement. "The call's not coming. It's not coming," he told Sky Sports. “In the last couple of interviews I've done, there's always been a headline. Look, I'm not coming back. I've had my go. I said, 'never say never', and that's the worst thing I've said.

“Someone said, 'If there was 15 broken legs, would you come back?' No, that's it. Unfortunately, my time has gone. I look back on it with great, fond memories, but it's time for me to move on, it's time for England cricket to move on.”

For now, Cook just wants to “hopefully enjoy a couple of years of county cricket”, and with that, he hopes to end all talk of his potential future international return.