Feast or famine for Chef - Cook's bizarre 12-innings run

You might be surprised when you hear Alastair Cook's average over his last 12 Test innings, given the opener's recent run of low scores.

Alastair Cook on his way to a double-hundred in Melbourne

Alastair Cook completed a number of notable achievements with his superb double-hundred in the fourth Ashes Test, but one surprising statistic may have slipped under the radar of many observers.

Read: Cook gives England control at MCG

Unbeaten on 244 at the end of day three, England opener Cook is now responsible for the highest score by a visiting player at the MCG and has moved up to sixth on Test cricket's all-time run-scoring list, overtaking Mahela Jayawardene, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Brian Lara in one innings.

He is also only the second England player to reach 200 twice in a calendar year, after Wally Hammond, and those twin double-tons mean Cook's recent batting average is not what you might expect.

Read: The Ashes Round-up: Cook a class apart as England claims huge lead

Despite managing a high score of just 37 in 10 innings prior to this week's Test, Cook's average in his last 12 knocks is now an impressive 57.

It's amazing what a couple of innings spanning more than 400 deliveries will do to your statistics.