Cook keeps his cool and steadies ship...
THERE is much for England to be concerned about with the Ashes hoving into view but, even when all else is unsettled, there is always Alastair Cook.
The former captain was rock-like yesterday when surrounded by uncertainty, holding England together on a first day of the third Test when South Africa could easily have taken a stranglehold on the Investec series.
As it is, with Cook providing a model demonstration of the qualities that have made him one of the greatest of all batsmen, England reached the end of a rain-affected day with honours just about even.
There have been many more memorable batting displays during the previous 99 men’s Tests at the Oval.
But what is most important to Cook and his successor Joe Root is that he remains unbeaten on 82 and has steadied the English ship with Ben Stokes to leave them at 171 for four when they could easily have capsized.
England’s Keaton Jennings endured the most awful of ducks as Vernon Philander toyed with him before putting him out of his misery by forcing him to edge to Dean Elgar at third slip while in no-man’s land off his ninth tortuous ball. How much more damage Philander could have done before lunch is anyone’s guess but he left the field after just four overs with a stomach upset and was not able to bowl again until almost an hour after the break.
In his absence, the pressure was eased on England as Tom Westley glided to 25 with five fours.
Yet immediately after lunch he aimed a big drive at Chris Morris and was undone by swing to nip a promising introduction to Test cricket in the bud.
The return of Philander sparked the best bowling of the day from South Africa and brought him the big wicket of Root, caught behind by Quinton de Kock.
Enter another England debutant in Dawid Malan.
However, he could do nothing about the inswinging yorker from Kagiso Rabada that cleaned him up for just one off 17 balls and knocked him off his feet.
Throughout it all, Cook did what Cook does, scoring his runs mainly square of the wicket both off his legs and through the covers — and only bringing out his cover drive when he was certain the ball was full enough to make it safe.
Only when Cook was on 28 did he have anything like a scare when umpire Joel Wilson turned down a strong shout for lbw off Morris. The review showed the ball hitting the stumps but ultra-edge said that Cook had feathered it.
He then found a willing ally in Stokes, who had made a point before the match of insisting England can still play positively without rushing into the sort of brainless collapse that led to their second Test thrashing.
The rain that caused 31 overs of the day to be lost had the final word but if Cook can add another century, and with Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali to come, England could yet reach the sort of score that would test South Africa.