Alastair Cook insists he will not return to international cricket, backtracking on his earlier statement that he would "never say never" to playing for England again. 

The former England captain retired following his 161st Test in September last year, saying farewell with a century against India at The Oval, but the team have struggled to replace Cook at the top of the order. 

The Essex man refused to rule out a return earlier this year, yet he now says he regrets the words he chose. 

Discussing a future in Test cricket again on Friday, Cook said his time was up and there would be no coming back. 

"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. I'm here just to hopefully enjoy a couple of years of county cricket."