FIRST INVESTEC TEST Cook feasts on
IT was a day – and an evening – for England’s old-stagers.
After Alastair Cook had posted the fourth double hundred of a wonderful Test career it was left to James Anderson to rock a demoralised West Indies in this horribly one-sided match.
No bowling attack wants to face Cook at his obdurate best.
However, it was almost painful watching a powderpuff unit that betrays the West Indian greats of the past flail around in vain as England’s all-time leading run-scorer racked up a monster innings of 243 that lasted nine hours and 22 minutes.
Cook’s runs were the bedrock of England’s mammoth total of 514-8 and it was his dismissal, after 406 balls, that triggered the declaration 40 minutes before tea on the second day of this opening day-night Test.
That allowed Anderson, his country’s most prolific bowler in history, to get to work, using this pink ball as effectively as the traditional red to dismiss opener Kraigg Brathwaite before the tourists had even put a run on the board.
West Indies at least battled through to tea, Anderson toying with debutant Kyle Hope – against whom he had a huge lbw appeal first ball – and Keiran Powell, his partner.
There was also time for two dropped chances either side of the interval, Stuart Broad the unlucky bowler as Powell, spared on two by Ben Stokes at gully, and Hope, receiving a life on 14 thanks to Moeen Ali at third slip, escaped.
By the time rain halted play shortly before 7.30pm the visitors had progressed to 44-1, still a massive deficit of 470 runs.
At least downpour the gave that had begun with England resuming on their overnight score of 348-3.
Malan, who started the day on 28, looked composed in reaching his 50, with one cover drive off the bowling of Alzarri Joseph bearing the watermark of a man who just might have a chance of establishing himself in the No5 position for the Ashes.
Yet Malan will be judged by the way he threw away a golden opportunity to reach a first Test hundred shortly before lunch, playing a poor shot to the part-time spin of Roston Chase that resulted in him being caught at slip on 65.
But he was relieved at posting a score. “I needed that,” said Malan. “I didn’t look like scoring a run against South Africa, so it was nice to hit a few in the middle and feel a bit more composed at the crease.”
His dismissal was the only highlight of the session for a West Indies attack that had conceded 101 unanswered runs before that. And even the flurry of wickets that fell after the interval – as England sought quick runs to hasten their declaration – could
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