Cook stirs it up as Warriors feel heat
Veteran Stephen Cook turned on the charm with a superb 188 to lead the Highveld Lions into a position of strength against the Warriors in their four-day Franchise Series cricket fixture at St George’s Park on Wednesday.
By the close of day three, the Lions had declared their first innings at 470 for six wickets in reply to the Warriors’ 345. That gave them a lead of 125 of which the Warriors had reached 42 for three, losing Gihahn Cloete (4), Eddie Moore (5) and captain Jon-Jon Smuts (1) before stumps were drawn. That leaves the Warriors 82 runs in arrears in facing a tough fight on the last day.
The 35-year-old Cook, who played his last Test for South Africa in January 2016, was irrepressible in his commanding innings and displayed a full array of strokes.
Cook has played many roles in this Lions team his 141 matches from opener, to captain and now senior pro. And if the youngsters in the side could learn anything from the righthander it was how to build the perfect innings. He was patient when he needed to be while remaining aware enough to pounce on and punish anything loose.
It was his 45th first-class hundred and was scored off 314 balls with 24 fours and a six. He was eventually out when he miscued a long-hop from leftarm spinner Jon-Jon Smuts into the hands of Andrew Birch at mid-off.
There was another hero for the Lions on the day as wicketkeeper Nicky van der Bergh weighed in with an aggressive 132-ball innings of 113, his ninth first-class hundred and only his second franchise ton. Earlier, Rassie van der Dussen clubbed a quick-fire 50 off 47 deliveries.
The Lions started day three on 105 for two, still 240 behind the Warriors’ first innings effort of 345. Cook was on 48 and Proteas star Temba Bavuma had 24.
Bavuma only got to 35 before edging an attempted hook off Anrich Nortje to wicketkeeper Clyde Fortuin.
Van der Dussen then played his cameo role before being trapped leg-before-wicket by Nortje and that was followed by the 199-run partnership between Cook and Van den Bergh for the fifth wicket.
It was a long hard day for the Warriors with the ball but Nortje was rewarded for his efforts when he picked up his fourth wicket, that of Van den Bergh well-caught at backward square leg by Lutho Sipamla. Nortje finished with four for 104 in 27 overs.
Mo Vallie (22) and Lesiba Ngoepe (4) will resume the innings for the Warriors on Thursday.