Cook eyes Tendulkar record

Alastair Cook is keen to get the 36 runs he needs to reach 10,000 in Test cricket as quickly as possible as England prepare to face Sri Lanka at Headingley.

"It's a big milestone in terms of the people who have done it previously, so it would be great to try and score these 36 runs."

Alastair Cook is keen to get the 36 runs he needs to reach 10,000 in Test cricket as quickly as possible as England prepare to face Sri Lanka at Headingley.

Cook will become the youngest player to reach the milestone – eclipsing Sachin Tendulkar's record – and would also be only the 12th in Test history and the first Englishman.

The opening Test with Sri Lanka, which begins on Thursday, provides the England captain with his latest opportunity to score the required runs, and he is desperate to achieve that and stop the record hanging over him.

"It would mean a lot and hopefully I can get there sooner rather than later so we can talk about something else," he told a media conference. 

"It's a big milestone in terms of the people who have done it previously, so it would be great to try and score these 36 runs.

"I've just got to focus on doing what I've done in the previous 10 years, which is try and concentrate on that ball coming down. Nothing else really matters. If it's your day, go big and get a big score."