The Hindu : Sport : Cook injects life into a dull day

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Friday, May 18, 2007
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Sport

Cook injects life into a dull day

Ted Corbett

SHEET ANCHOR: Alastair Cook scored his fifth century in 15 Tests. - PHOTO: AFP

LONDON: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh came to Lord's for the start of the first Test on Thursday but it was hardly a Royal occasion. England eased its way to 200 for three against as inept a display of quick bowling as you will see anywhere in the world and Alastair Cook scored his fifth century in 15 Tests.

It is wise to be wary when Pietersen is as circumspect as this; he is showing that he means business; but eventually he too played a sloppy shot and was caught, leaving England dangerously exposed at 162 for three.

Paul Collingwood came to the rescue and, as the forecast is good there is plenty of time to beat a side, which — watched by a large bunch of the greatest Caribbean giants — must cause hearts to sink all the way from Guyana to Jamaica. How are the mighty fallen. With a resounding crash.

We did not have to wait long to find the measure of the West Indies invaders. By lunch they had bowled poorly on an encouraging pitch, fielded sloppily and their captain was fielding for a while at square leg. Square leg? Perhaps we missed a shrewd tactical move but from Hutton, to Bradman, to Illingworth and Brearley I cannot remember one who thought a position square with the stumps was the right place to control his side.

The Windies' excuse

The Windies had an excuse. Someone, either a knave or a fool, planned their only warm-up match in rainy Somerset where, unsurprisingly, they managed a pathetic show in their only innings. They had no bowling and in England, an idiosyncratic home of cricket, that means ten points down for any side, never mind one without form and without a Test win of any consequence for years.

Their new captain Ramnaresh Sarwan was right in his first decision. He won the toss and asked England to bat no doubt relieved that his own men did not have to face Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard on a pitch which soon allowed the ball to nip around and under cloud — and some drizzle — that produced swing. His new ball men Daren Powell and Jeremy Taylor bowled the wrong line and Corey Collymore, whose tidy medium pace ought to have been made for the pitch, lacked life.

Good start

By lunch Cook and Andrew Strauss, who wanted to lead from the front in a rare watch as captain, had 85 for the first wicket and been happy to see so many balls wide of off stump. Cook gave a quarter chance to tumbling slips just before the interval but that moment never seemed likely to justify the hopes of a side, which had just sent in the opposition.

Immediately afterwards England lost two wickets for 15 runs and West Indies was on top — but only for a moment. Strauss, who looks half the batsman who began his Test career carefree and stroke-filled, drove to backward point and Owais Shah, hit on the helmet by a throw, edged the ball to third slip — two catches to Devon Smith and two wickets to the striving Powell and England 103 for two.

Cook went along imperiously although he will face more difficulties when he makes rare appearances for Essex this summer.

He had a long pause on 90 but two more drives through the offside took him to his quickest century and the coolest celebration among modern batsmen. He already knows Test cricket is a patience game — as Colin Cowdrey used to tell newcomers — and, as they wait for him to grow into a master chef, England will be grateful one day.

SCOREBOARD

England _ 1st innings: A.Strauss c Smith b Powell 33, A.Cook (batting) 102, O. Shah c Smith b Powell 6, K. Pietersen c Smith b Collymore 26, P. Collingwood (batting) 21, Extras (lb-10, w-1, nb-1): 12; Total (three wkts., in 56 overs) 200.

Fall of wickets: 1-88, 2-103, 3-162.

West Indies bowling: Powell 18-4-52-2, Taylor 6-0-35-0, Collymore 19-4-60-1, Bravo 13-4-43-0.

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